In the Shadow of the Moon
by ButterflyKai
Summary: Naruto, Lee, Neji, Kiba, and Akamaru set off on a mysterious mission with ninja from the tiny, little known village of Mitsukigakure, the Village Hidden in the Full Moon. The chuunin seem normal enough, but there is something mysterious about their Sensei
1. Chapter 1:  Arrival

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 1: Arrival

A Jonin with silver eyes and half of her long, dark purple hair pulled back into a bun was tree hopping. She wore a purple tank top, tight purple Capri pants and a dark green vest with a silver label engraved with a circle on it. Around her neck was a black cord with a large silver circle pendant.

~Flashback~

"I want to be a ninja, Daddy…." A young version of the jonin told a man who looked like her.

"I do not think that is such a good idea, Mitsuki," the man said. "Do you understand who you are?"

"Yes, Daddy, I know. But I don't want to just float through life like that. I want to do something with my life. And it will allow me to meet a lot more people who can be potential fathers for my future baby."

"You do make a valid point, Mitsuki. Very well, my daughter. Tomorrow, we will discuss this matter with the Mitsukikage."

~End Flashback~

Mitsuki glanced back at the three Chuunin behind her. There was a girl with short, dark pink hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a short lavender dress with tight blue Capri pants. She also wore a dark green vest and a ninja band around her neck with a circle on it.

There was a boy with shoulder length blue hair and black eyes with glasses. He wore a long sleeved brown shirt under a dark green vest. He had dark red pants and blue sandals. His ninja band was on his left upper arm.

The third Chuunin had long blue-black hair and purple eyes. They wore a green kimono top under a dark green vest. They had green pants that had a blue dragon on the side of each leg. Their ninja band was around their right wrist.

~Flashback~

"I don't just want to wander around as a normal Jonin. I want to have a squad of my own," Mitsuki told the Mitsukikage, an aged shinobi.

"You know that you are a very important part of this village, Lady Mitsuki."

"Yes, I understand. You can select any three genin you want. But I want a squad."

"Very well…." The Mitsukikage waved a hand, and a jonin set a stack of paper in front of him.

"I will have a squad for you in the morning, Lady Mitsuki."

"Thank you, Lord Mitsukikage. I greatly appreciate your understanding. But for their sake, I would, at first, like for them not to know who I am." Mitsuki left.

The next day, Mitsuki returned to the Mitsukikage's office, to see the three Chuunin (except they weren't wearing vests and were a little bit younger) standing before him. She had transformed to have brown hair and eyes.

"These are the members of your new squad," The Mitsukikage told her, seeing through her jutsu.

"This is Cho," he indicated the girl. "She is our academy's most skilled user of taijutsu and uses it in conjunction with genjutsu to create a rather unique technique.

"Here we have Pei," he indicated the boy. "He is the academy's brightest student as well as being very skilled in defensive ninjutsu.

"And last is Anari," he indicated the last genin. "Anari is the academy's most skilled medic-nin student, and even surpasses some of the medic-nin in the infirmary."

~End Flashback~

Mitsuki smiled slightly at her memories.

'Time is drawing near for my destiny to be complete….' She thought. 'But I can't imagine leaving my squad….'

~Flashback~

"Before I introduce myself," Mitsuki, still in disguise, said to her genin as they sat on a blanket by a pond. "I would like to get to know the three of you. Please tell me why you wanted to become a ninja."

"I'll go first!" Cho said excitedly. "I want to be able to protect all the people I care about! Especially Lady Mitsuki! She is so beautiful and wonderful! I would love to be able to protect her as well as all the other people of the village!"

Mitsuki smiled slightly. "That is very noble of you, Cho. Pei, why don't you go next?"

Pei blushed slightly, adjusting his glasses. "I wish to one day become the Mitsukikage…. That way, I will be able to have a hand in creating world peace."

"Very honorable, Pei. That is a wonderful goal. That only leaves you, Anari."

"I would like to become the greatest medic-nin in the world. Then I will find a cure for Lady Mitsuki."

"A cure?" Mitsuki gave Anari a curious look.

"Yes. After all, Lady Mitsuki did not choose the life she has. And I have done a lot of research on her family's history. Tracing it back, I am her great great great grandfather's second child's direct descendent."

"Why, that is very generous and thoughtful, Anari…."

"What about you, Sensei?" Cho asked.

"I wanted to be a kunoichi so that I, too, could protect the ones I care about even more so than I already do. I care more about this village than anything else…. And I also just wanted to be able to live a somewhat normal life."

"What do you mean?"

Mitsuki smiled and made a hand sign, releasing her transformation jutsu.

"Lady Mitsuki!" The three genin gasped.

~End Flashback~

"Lady Mitsuki?" Cho asked when Mitsuki stopped on a branch. Cho, Pei, and Anari joined her on the branch.

"See that village below us?" Mitsuki asked. "That is the great Konohagakure. Some of the most famed shinobi and kunoichi hail from this majestic village."

"But Lady Mitsuki," Cho said, "you are the most famed kunoichi!"

"That is very flattering, Cho." Mitsuki smiled.

"We sent a messenger dog a few days ago to announce our arrival," Anari said. "So the Hokage should be expecting us."

"Very good, Anari. Once we get into the village, I have a private matter to discuss with the Hokage. I would like the three of you to become acquainted with the village."

"So you mean, look for possible fathers for your future child!" Cho said. Mitsuki smirked.

"Well you did say that some of the most famed shinobi live here." Anari smirked. Mitsuki laughed lightly.

They entered the village and Mitsuki hurried off toward the Hokage's mansion. Cho, Pei, and Anari wandered toward the chuunin exam stadium.

"I remember our chuunin exam…." Cho smiled reminiscently. Anari nodded, smiling.

~Flashback~

"The three of you have been selected to be promoted to the rank of chuunin. Lady Mitsuki, you should be very proud of your students." The Mitsukikage told Mitsuki and her squad.

"I am. We have grown into quite a family."

"Wonderful. I love to see my ninja getting along."

"In fact, Lord Mitsukikage, I would like for my squad to remain as it is now. I still have much I would like to teach them."

"Yeah, please let us stay with Lady Mitsuki!" Cho said desperately. The Mitsukikage smiled slightly.

"I have no intention of breaking up the squad that was picked specifically in order to protect Lady Mitsuki."

~End Flashback~

"After our chuunin exam, we became even closer, didn't we?" Anari said with a smile. Pei nodded.

"Hey!" Naruto came up behind them. "Who are you?" He smiled widely and curiously.

"I'm Anari," Anari smiled sweetly. "This is Cho and Pei. We're from Mitsukigakure."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm going to be the Hokage!"

"The Hokage?" Cho smirked. "In a huge village like this you probably have tons of competition."

"Well, I've never even heard of Mitsukigakure…." Naruto glared.

"It's a rather small village," Anari smiled kindly. "Naruto, as the future Hokage, would you escort us around the village while our sensei is meeting with the current Hokage?"

"Sure! Just follow me!"

Pei nudged Anari and nodded to Naruto as they headed toward the ramen shop. Anari gave him a curious smile.

"This place has the best ramen! Hey, Sakura!" Naruto waved to Sakura, who was at the ramen shop with Ino.

"Hey Naruto! Who are your friends?"

"These guys are from Mitsukigakure. Cho, Pei, and Anari. And guys, these are my friends, Sakura and Ino."

"It's nice to meet you," Ino said.

"A kunoichi from Mitsukigakure is talking to Lady Tsunade right now, too," Sakura said thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "I thought you were supposed to be there…."

"She told me it was a very private matter and kicked me out…." Sakura frowned.

"Private, huh?" Naruto smirked.

"Hey Naruto!" Kiba called, running up to them, Akamaru not far behind.

"Hi!" Cho said excitedly, rushing in front of Naruto so she was face to face with Kiba.

"I'm Cho from Mitsukigakure! What a beautiful dog!"

"Heh. Kiba Inuzuka. And this is Akamaru." Kiba smirked, patting Akamaru's head.

"Hey, Kiba, we were just going to sneak into the Hokage mansion to spy on a secret meeting!" Naruto said, peeking out from behind Cho, who glared back at him slightly.

"Heh, count me in!"

"No way!" Sakura glared, crossing her arms. "Lady Tsunade will not be happy about that. Naruto, you can't go eavesdropping on something like this! It could jeopardize the relationship between our two villages!"

"Our Sensei is a very important person in our village," Anari said thoughtfully.

"Oh, don't be so serious!" Naruto rolled his eyes and smirked. "We won't get caught! Come on, let's go!"

"I don't think I'll join you…." Anari smiled slightly, going to Sakura's side. Pei nodded and joined him.

"Fine, be that way…." Cho sighed.

"You're coming, though, right?" Kiba smirked at Cho, who smiled widely, nodding, before running off with Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled after them angrily.

"Sakura," Anari said, smiling kindly. "I assure you that everything will be fine. Cho is very impulsive, but judging by the time of day it is, our Sensei is probably almost done with your Hokage. She will be gone by the time they reach the mansion."

"Well, that's good. Naruto can be such an idiot!"

"Are you on the same squad?"

"Unfortunately…." Sakura frowned.

"Hm, who are your other members?"

"Oh…. Uh…." Sakura blushed. "Well, there is Sai and Kakashi-sensei, but sometimes Kakashi-sensei isn't there, so Yamato-sensei fills in for him."

"Interesting. Our sensei, Lady Mitsuki, is a very important kunoichi in our village."

"That's kind of how Kakashi-sensei is! He is supposed to be some kind of legendary shinobi."

"Really?" Anari smiled. "I'm sure Lady Mitsuki would love to meet him sometime."

Pei nodded, also smiling a bit.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage mansion, Mitsuki and Tsunade had just finished discussing something very mysterious and important.

"I have provided you and your squad with an apartment," Tsunade told Mitsuki.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. Your hospitality is very appreciated." Mitsuki smiled.

"Well, I understand the importance of the mission you are about to embark on. I would expect fellow villages to treat me with the same respect and hospitality was I in your situation. Shizune!"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Shizune entered the room, carrying Tonton.

"Please have Iruka take Lady Mitsuki to the apartment I reserved for her. I will see you again in the morning, Lady Mitsuki."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Mitsuki bowed and followed Shizune out of the room. Shizune led her out of the mansion, where Iruka was waiting.

"Iruka, this is Lady Mitsuki from Mitsukigakure. Lady Mitsuki, this is Iruka Umino."

"Thank you, Shizune." Mitsuki bowed slightly to her.

"Lady Mitsuki," Iruka smiled. "I was unaware that you were a kunoichi…."

"It was greatly resisted at first…." Mitsuki smiled, a bit taken aback.

"You must be very powerful in order to take on that type of lifestyle."

"I do have my squad, which was specially picked just for my situation. I am surprised that you know of me."

"Well, I am a teacher in the academy, so I do my research. But nothing in my research mentioned how beautiful you are."

"I am flattered, Iruka, I really am. But it is getting rather late, and I need my squad before retiring. So, would you mind helping me round them up? I'm sure they are all together, we are rather close."

"I would be delighted, Lady Mitsuki."

Meanwhile, Anari and Pei had also gone off to search for Mitsuki.

"Anari…." Pei said thoughtfully.

"Hm?" Anari gave Pei a curious smile.

"Naruto Uzumaki is not a normal shinobi…."

"I can tell. He has a lot of spirit in him. He is very determined, but I can tell that he isn't the type to really cause conflict, but more try to resolve it. If he does become Hokage, then maybe you'll get to work with him when you're Mitsukikage!"

"Yes, but you know that since I am aspiring to become Mitsukikage, I do a lot of research and am working on studying something our village doesn't have much knowledge on. I am studying the jinchuriki."

"Wow, really? That's definitely going to impress the elders, Pei!"

Pei nodded, adjusting his glasses on his face. "But what I mean by bringing it up is that…. I believe that Naruto is a jinchuriki."

Anari stopped walking and turned to Pei curiously.

"Anari, Pei!" Mitsuki called to them.

"Lady Mitsuki!" Anari smiled widely, and they ran to her.

"Where is Cho?"

"She went with two boys to go spy on your meeting. But they left only a few minutes ago, so they probably just missed you."

"Well, it is getting rather late. We had better just start the procedure without her…." Mitsuki seemed a bit worried as Iruka led them to an apartment.

"If you need anything else, please let me know," Iruka said with a smile. Mitsuki smiled.

"Thank you, Iruka."

Iruka left a bit hesitantly. Cho ran up to them just as Mitsuki was about to open the door. Kiba and Akamaru weren't far behind.

"Lady Mitsuki! This is Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru! They are amazing trackers. They were the ones who brought me here when I said I wanted to find you! Kiba, this is my sensei, Lady Mitsuki. She's the greatest!"

"Heh, nice to meet you." Kiba smirked.

"Well, we have to go! Thanks, Kiba! Bye! Bye Akamaru!" Cho hugged Akamaru, who barked happily. Then she hugged Kiba, who smirked.

"Later." Kiba smirked, Akamaru barked, and they ran off.

"Well, then," Mitsuki opened the door. "Now let us get some rest."


	2. Chapter 2:  The Companion Squad

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 2: The Companion Squad

The next morning, Mitsuki, Cho, Pei, and Anari waited in Tsunade's office to meet the squad that would accompany them.

"I am honored that you have chosen our village to come to for help. And we gladly accept your request," Tsunade said. "I have put a lot of thought into choosing the squad that can properly aid you. Am I right in assuming that you need a good tracker?"

Anari smiled, nudging Cho, who held back her excitement.

"Yes," Mitsuki nodded. "My squad is very talented, but tracking has never been our strong suit."

"Right. Therefore, I have chosen our most talented young shinobi as the leader of this squad."

Shizune opened the door, motioning to whomever was in the hall. Neji came in.

"This is Neji Hyuuga. He is a jonin as well as the strongest member of our village's strongest clan."

Neji bowed slightly to them.

"Next, we have Rock Lee, another very skilled shinobi," Tsunade said as Shizune allowed Lee to enter. "He is an excellent user of taijutsu and has overcome unbelievable odds."

Lee saluted to the others.

"And then there is Naruto Uzumaki," Tsunade continued as Shizune let Naruto in. He smiled widely.

"Naruto is a very well rounded shinobi whose determination and refusal to accept failure will surely be an asset to your mission."

"Hey guys!" Naruto waved. Neji glared and sighed.

"Finally, we have another excellent tracker who hails from a clan of extremely effective trackers, bred for their abilities. His name is Kiba Inuzuka."

"And Akamaru!" Kiba smirked as he entered with his dog, who barked. Cho smiled widely. Tsunade sighed.

"Yes, well, Neji, Lee, Naruto, and Kiba, this is Lady Mitsuki and her squad, Cho, Pei, and Anari, from Mitsukigakure. They requested our aid on a very important and dangerous mission. Lady Mitsuki, would you please elaborate."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Mitsuki bowed slightly. "I am very grateful for your assistance, as is my entire village. I am sure that none of you are aware of the situation of Mitsukigakure. There is a very important and vital secret forbidden jutsu that is hidden deep within our village. It is so very important to our village that this jutsu remain hidden and secret that we have a whole branch of our ninja system dedicated to protecting the entrance into the labyrinth in which this jutsu is hidden."

"If it's so secret and forbidden, why don't you just destroy it?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto!" Tsunade glared.

"No, Lady Tsunade, it is quite alright. I would be happy to explain. Mitsukigakure has a very complex history that is vital for the survival of our village. This powerful, forbidden jutsu must remain in our village in case of an emergency. Only the Mitsukikage is able to locate the jutsu. But not even he knows where the entrance to the labyrinth is. Upon need for the jutsu to be accessed, the location will be revealed.

"Unfortunately, one of the protectors of the labyrinth entrance was bribed into stealing the jutsu. They broke into the labyrinth and was somehow able to navigate it in order to reach the jutsu. Amazingly, they were also able to escape.

"This traitor's name is Taibi. She is a very skilled protector kunoichi, trained since birth to face any situation in the most effective and deadly manner. For if anyone was to attempt to enter the labyrinth, they were to be killed, not just defeated. The jutsu is far too dangerous and secret."

"Wow, that's pretty serious stuff…." Naruto said.

"What's the jutsu do?" Kiba asked.

"I don't think that's an appropriate question, Kiba." Tsunade frowned.

"I apologize, but that cannot be answered at this time. Although I thoroughly trust Konohagakure, and hope that nothing will ruin our current relationship, I do not think this would be the proper time to uncover the secrets of our village."

"Is it something that only the old people know?" Naruto asked.

"We know it!" Cho crossed her arms. "Everyone in our village knows about this jutsu."

"Then how is it such a secret jutsu?"

"Because it is known about," Mitsuki explained. "They know the basic idea of the jutsu. But the specifics, how to perform the jutsu, and even what the jutsu actually does is unknown. It has successfully been protected since the formation of the village many decades ago.

"Our mission is to find Taibi and the jutsu, and return it to its proper place."

"What if Taibi has already learned this jutsu for herself?" Neji asked seriously.

"In that case, she will need to be killed. This jutsu is simply too dangerous."

"Lady Mitsuki," Anari said seriously. "This mission is even more important than even Pei would have guessed. As your personal medic-nin, don't you think that certain measures should be taken before embarking on this mission?"

"I appreciate your concern, Anari." Mitsuki smiled. "But I assure you that is unnecessary."

"Lady Mitsuki…."

"Very well, Anari…." Mitsuki sighed. "If you are that very nervous about me, I suppose that would be safest."

"Thank you, Lady Mitsuki." Anari smiled.

"What measures?" Kiba and Naruto asked.

"They are important to our village. It is of no concern to you, I am sure." Mitsuki smiled a bit sneakily.

"Do you need me to help you, Lady Mitsuki?"

"WHAT?" Cho stared, totally shocked and appalled by her teammate's question. Anari, Pei, and Mitsuki gave her confused looks.

"I appreciate the offer," Mitsuki laughed, realizing the reason for Cho's reaction. "But no, I am fully prepared to carry out the precaution on my own."

"Very well, Lady Mitsuki." Anari smiled, somewhat amused, also noticing the reason for Cho's outburst. Neji and Lee exchanged confused glances. Naruto and Kiba stared, their heads tilted slightly, trying to figure out what the Mitsukigakure ninja were talking about.

"Thank you again, Lady Tsunade." Mitsuki turned to her and bowed. Her chuunin followed suit, Cho still staring, shocked, at Anari. Mitsuki led the ninja outside.

"While I take care of that," Mitsuki smirked, "why don't the seven of you get to know each other?"

"Sure!" Anari smiled as Mitsuki left.

"Help her?" Cho turned on Anari. "Why would you even ask a thing like that?"

"Calm down, Cho!" Anari smiled. "I meant that I knew of someone."

"Oh…." Cho seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Well," Naruto said. "How are we supposed to get to know each other?"

"Why do we not engage in a youthful sparring match?" Lee suggested, smiling.

"That actually seems like a really good idea!" Anari smiled happily.

"If we go to the chuunin exam stadium, there will be plenty of room to spar," Neji said, leading the way toward the stadium.

Once inside, Anari faced Kiba, who sat on Akamaru's back. Cho faced Lee, both in offensive stances, and Pei faced Naruto.

"How come you aren't sparring, Neji?" Naruto asked.

"Because there is an odd number, and I out-rank you." Neji smirked slightly. 'And I would like to see how these chuunin fight. If I am correct, Pei will be a defensive fighter. Cho will use taijutsu, and Anari obviously is a medic-nin. Their personalities reflect their fighting styles….' Naruto glared.

"Fine then! More fun for me!" Naruto ran at Pei, throwing a punch, but Pei did several hand signs, and ducked under the attack, putting both hands on the ground. Earth seemed to grow onto him, forming a thick shell. Pei attained a defensive stance in his rock armor as Naruto smirked and created four shadow clones. They charged Pei, who held his arms out in front of him. The rock armor transformed, become spiky, stabbing the clones as they made contact.

Naruto smirked, throwing a kunai at Pei, but his rocky armor protected him. Naruto made another shadow clone, who formed Rasengan in his hand. Naruto ran at Pei, but Pei made another hand sign just before Naruto hit him with the jutsu. The rock armor transformed into a sphere around Naruto, trapping him within it. Naruto pounded on his prison.

"Let me out!"

Pei adjusted his glasses slightly.

"Alright, let's go!" Cho smirked. Lee nodded.

"Very well, then." He charged her, throwing a kick at her, but she dodged it and sent a punch at him, which he easily hit away. Lee sweep kicked, but Cho leapt over his leg, up onto the wall of the stadium. She did a hand sign, and a black butterfly flew toward Lee. He ignored it, but then it landed on him, and he grunted in pain as the butterfly transformed into a shuriken that was embedded in his shoulder.

"An interesting genjutsu. Well done, Cho."

"Thank you!" Cho flipped off the wall, attempting to drop kick Lee, but he moved out of the way, beginning to run in circles around her. She did a few more hand signs, and butterflies seemed to fill the area. Lee avoided them as he continued to run, but they greatly offset his course. The butterflies surrounded Lee, keeping him in a general area.

"Come on, Akamaru!" Kiba smirked. Akamaru barked. Anari smiled as Kiba and Akamaru ran at him. Anari did a series of hand signs and then flipped over the boy and his dog, causing them to turn to face him again.

"Heh, you're gonna play that game?" Kiba smirked. Akamaru barked and they charged again, but suddenly stopped over the area Anari had been standing on.

"Huh?" Kiba looked down at the ground. Four small spikes were in the ground, forming a square. A thin green line connected the spikes.

"Come on!" Naruto pounded on the rock. "There's not enough room in here to make a doppelganger! Let me out!"

Pei did a hand sign and touched the rock, causing it to crumble. Naruto rubbed his hand.

"That was kinda cool! Where'd you learn that! You could totally use that to bring someone somewhere against their will! You have to teach me that!"

Pei just stared at him, shocked.

"Surrender, or be cut to ribbons," Cho smirked. Lee glanced at her, then turned his attention back to the butterflies. He looked at them carefully, then ran right through them. They simply disappeared, but Cho threw a punch right at his face. He grabbed her fist and twisted it back behind her back. Cho smirked, slamming her elbow into his stomach. Lee doubled over in pain and Cho tried another drop kick, but Lee rolled out of the way, Leaf Whirlwinding her. She was knocked to the ground, and Lee pulled out a kunai and held it to her neck.

"Very impressive." Cho smiled.

"As is your technique." Lee complimented, standing up, offering his hand to her. She took it, using him to help her off the ground.

"It's a perimeter paralyzing jutsu," Anari explained. "As long as you are within those four spikes, you won't be able to move."

Kiba frowned. "That was barely a fight…."

"Sorry. I'm a medic-nin. I'm not much of a fighter…." Anari smiled apologetically. Kiba growled slightly.

"Hm…." Neji looked at the Mitsukigakure ninja carefully.

"Come on! Show me how to do that!" Naruto said eagerly as Pei just stared at him.

"Naruto, you'll have to excuse Pei," Anari said with a smile, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Pei is rather shy."

Naruto sighed. "Come on! Please just tell me! We're friends, aren't we?"

"Um…." Pei adjusted his glasses.

"Hey, let us out of here!" Kiba yelled. Anari smiled and tossed a shuriken at one of the spikes, offsetting it, and freeing Kiba and Akamaru.

"Thanks…." He jumped off his dog's back and patted his head. Cho joined him.

"Sorry about Anari's….dislike of confrontation." Cho rolled her eyes.

"Heh, it's cool," Kiba smirked. "I just wish it wasn't so short. I'm sure we could have kicked butt!"

"Ha, of course! Anari is a brilliant medic-nin, but when it comes to taijutsu, he's hopeless!"

"What….?" Naruto, Kiba, and Lee looked from Anari to Cho, totally shocked.

"What? Anari's horrible at taijutsu…." Cho repeated. Anari smiled and nodded.

"She's a he!" Naruto and Kiba exclaimed, as Lee just stared, shocked.

"Yes, I am male…." Anari smiled, somewhat embarrassed.

"I never would have known you're a dude." Kiba said.

"Yeah, I actually thought you were kinda pretty…." Naruto muttered.

"Pei thought the same thing when they first met." Cho smirked. Pei blushed, looking away from them.

"In any case," Neji said. "I am sure that time is of great importance with this mission. Shouldn't we be setting off soon?"

"Right!" Anari smiled. "If we head toward the gate, Lady Mitsuki will meet us there, I'm sure!"

"To the gate, then!" Lee led the way. Naruto and Kiba discussed the oddity of Anari not being a girl. Cho laughed at everything Kiba said. Pei walked silently beside Anari.

"Anari," Neji said, causing Anari stop and wait for him to catch up. Anari smiled kindly.

"I'm sorry for the confusion about me being a boy."

"I knew about that. I wanted to ask you about this mystery of your village. You seem to be the leader of the chuunin of your squad."

"Well, Cho is impulsive, and Pei is shy and soft-spoken, so I do seem to be in charge of them, even though Pei is a leader at heart, he is too quiet."

"Right, well, anyway, Lady Mitsuki isn't a normal kunoichi, is she?"

"You are right in that. In fact, my entire reason for being a shinobi was so that I could be a medic-nin and find a cure for her."

"A cure? Does she have some type of disease?"

"I'm sorry, but it really is not my place to say."

"I see."

Anari smiled kindly and jogged to catch up to Pei. Neji watched them carefully.

When they got to the gate, sure enough, Mitsuki was waiting for them.

"Lady Mitsuki!" Cho called, waving. Mitsuki smiled.

"Is everything taken care of?" Anari asked seriously. Mitsuki gave a meaningful nod.

"Oh! Please tell me all about it!" Cho squealed. Pei blushed awkwardly. Anari smiled, sighing and shaking his head. Mitsuki blushed a little.

"As your personal medic-nin, Lady Mitsuki, I would like to run a test to assure positivity," Anari said seriously.

"You can do that this soon?" Mistuki asked.

"Yes, I can. I can do it right here, too."

"Hey, Lady Mitsuki," Naruto said, "Did you know that Anari is a guy?"

"Um, yes, Naruto, I did know that…."

Kiba rolled his eyes, smirking. Anari did a few hand signs and handed Mitsuki a piece of paper, closing his eyes.

"Eat it."

Mitsuki obliged, and Anari kept his eyes closed. Neji watched very closely. Mituski started coughing.

"Lady Mitsuki!" Cho gasped nervously.

"It's fine, Cho." She coughed. Anari released his hand sign and smiled.

"Lady Mitsuki, I'd like to tell you the results privately."

"Oh come on! You can't do that to us!" Cho protested.

"Hey, Cho, it'll be fine," Kiba smirked, resting his elbow on her shoulder as Anari and Mitsuki walked a little ways away.

"But our village's future is at stake! That information is vital to the very existence of our village!"

"Chill, Cho, you're being a little dramatic, don't you think?"

"You're so adorable," Cho smiled at him lovingly. "But no, I'm not being dramatic." She glared, pushing his arm off her. Naruto laughed as Cho turned away from Kiba.

"Alright," Mitsuki and Anari rejoined them. "We should begin. But be aware that when the sunset starts, we'll have to set up camp."

"Why?" Naruto asked, confused. "We'll lose a lot of time that way."

"Do not question Lady Mitsuki!" Cho glared. Kiba smirked at him.

"That aside," Neji said. "Let us waste no more time."

"Yes, let's go. This is a picture of Taibi that we were able to get from the emergency protective files. They suspect that she is headed toward the Land of Shadows." Mituski held up a picture of a young girl with long brown hair in a ponytail and dull grey eyes. Then she led them out of the village, and they leapt into the trees.


	3. Chapter 3: Evasion

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 3: Evasion

As the ninja hopped through the trees, Kiba, Akamaru, and Neji were leading them. They were heading toward the small Land of Shadows. Neji had his Byagukan activated, and Kiba's and Akamaru's noses were twitching, searching for suspicious scents.

"Tell me," Cho said, glaring seriously at Anari, who smiled.

"Lady Mitsuki asked to me to keep it to myself."

"Tell me!"

"No."

"Tell me!" Cho whined.

"Yeah, I want to know, too!" Naruto added.

"Pei, you want to know, don't you?" Cho ignored Naruto. Pei glanced at her, then at Mitsuki, who was holding back her amusement.

"Come on, tell us!"

"I can't." Anari smiled. "I can't say anything that might jeopardize this mission."

"How would telling us that jeopardize the mission!"

"It just might. I don't want to take any chances."

"Fine, be that way!" Cho changed pace so she could catch up to Kiba and Akamaru.

"There is a gathering below, a few meters ahead," Neji informed them.

"They smell suspicious," Kiba elaborated.

"They seem to be making some sort of plan."

"Is Taibi with them?" Mitsuki asked.

"Yes."

"But there's blood," Kiba said.

"Taibi is dead." Neji said, stopping on a branch.

"Dead?" Naruto asked as the rest of them stopped around Neji. He nodded.

"It seems that they killed her."

"Killed her?" Mitsuki stared. "Who could we be dealing with that is strong enough to kill a protective ninja…."

"It seems they haven't looked at the jutsu. There is a large scroll leaning against a tree. It has the crest of the Mitsukikage on it, and it seems intact."

"That's very good," Mitsuki sighed, relieved. 'If that jutsu gets discovered, it will not only destroy Mitsukigakure, but it could also do the same to other villages as well.'

~Flashback~

Mitsuki and her father were walking through a field of swaying grass.

"Mitsuki, my daughter, do you understand now, why everyone is so reluctant to have you become a kunoichi?"

"Yes, I understand. But as a kunoichi, I will be able to help protect the jutsu!"

"Yes, my dear, and that is very noble of you. If that jutsu were to be in the wrong hands, you have no idea what catastrophe would result."

"What do you mean?"

"Not only would our whole beloved village be destroyed, but so could the entire human race. If that jutsu is used in the wrong way, the entire human race could end up being wiped out."

"I didn't know it was that powerful…."

"That is why the jutsu exists. Without it, there would be chaos and destruction and death. But with the jutsu, there is order and peace. At least, there is some peace. But always remember that the job of the ninja of Mitsukigakure is to first and foremost protect that jutsu."

~End Flashback~

"What should we do?" Naruto asked.

"Shall we take back the jutsu by sheer youthful force?" Lee asked. Mitsuki shook her head.

"We need to take it. But I would prefer that no one got hurt while doing this. Except the enemy. Even though you said that it seemed that it was unopened, we cannot take that risk. We must make sure they have not opened it."

"How do we do that?" Kiba asked.

"We will have to kill them."

"Kill them?" Anari smiled nervously.

"I'm sorry, Anari, but you know how important this is."

"Yeah…."

"Oh, you aren't going to fight anyway, Anari." Cho smirked. "You're just going to watch while we do all the work!"

"If I get injured, who's going to heal you all!" Anari frowned.

"We need to come up with some kind of plan." Mitsuki said.

"Here's our plan: Kick ass!" Naruto made four shadow clones and leapt down onto the group of four large muscular shinobi wearing black body suits. Each Naruto pulled out a kunai.

"Naruto!" Neji yelled, glaring after him. Lee jumped down, too.

"Lee!"

"Hey, wait for us!" Kiba, Akamaru, and Cho followed. Neji glared.

"I'm going to wait until they get their butts kicked, then go in with a plan."

"If these guys were able to defeat Taibi, they have to be very powerful. She's been trained since birth to kill anyone who comes across her." Mitsuki said.

"Don't worry, I won't let them die."

"Anari, make a perimeter paralyze jutsu."

"I can't. That jutsu is designed for only one person. It took up half my chakra to do it for Kiba and Akamaru. I can't do it for four people, that would use up all my chakra, therefore making the jutsu last only two or three seconds."

"Fine, I guess we'll have to wait, too."

"Give back that forbidden jutsu!" Naruto and Cho yelled. The shinobi smirked at each other.

"Look, guys, some more kids came to play."

"Why did you want our jutsu?" Cho demanded.

"We don't even know what that is. Our leader told us to meet that girl here and kill her, taking it from her and taking it to him."

"And you do not think that he will not just kill you when he is finished with you?" Lee asked, glaring.

"Ha! No way. Leader won't kill us. We've been working for him since we were kids!"

The four ran at Kiba, Akamaru, Naruto, Cho, and Lee. Lee did Leaf Whirlwind, knocking one down. He jumped up and Lee punched him up into the air, then leapt us, turning him upside down and spinning, ramming into the ground.

"Heh, not so easy to defeat," Lee's opponent smirked and got up out of the crater his huge body had created. Lee got into his fighting stance, waiting for the shinobi to attack him. He did, and Lee hit his fist away and spin kicked him in the face, knocking him down again.

Cho flipped over the shinobi who had charged her. She did a few hand signs, and a butterfly flew toward him. He swatted it, then grimaced as it turned into a kunai that had pierced his hand. Cho smirked as she punched him in the gut. Then she spin kicked him, but he caught her foot, pushing her to the ground. He smirked, pulling the kunai out of his flesh. Cho glared, doing another set of hand signs. Butterflies filled the area, surrounding the shinobi. He swatted at them, but they always flew out of his reach. He acquired a defensive stance.

"Think you can fool me twice, little girl?" He smirked.

"Actually, yes." She smirked, glaring a bit, forming another hand sign, and the butterflies swarmed him, covering him in senbon and shuriken.

Kiba and Akamaru charged their opponent from opposite sides, but he punched the ground, sending them both flying backwards, and into trees. Kiba glared and Akamaru growled. They did garuga on their opponent, who was slammed into a tree.

"Heh." Kiba smirked. The shinobi stood up, glaring at them. He punched the ground again, sending Kiba and Akamaru to the ground. Kiba and Akamaru growled, getting up. Kiba did a few hand signs, and Akamaru transformed into a man-beast clone of Kiba. They charged their opponent, dodging his punched, and kicking him into the air. They jumped up and drop kicked him into the ground.

Naruto and his clones charged their opponent, sliding down and kicking him up into the air, then one clone formed Rasengan in Naruto's hand. Naruto jumped up, slamming his Rasengan into his opponent, who was slammed up through the treetops, past the four waiting ninja, who watched him go up, and then slam back into the ground. The three boys, Akamaru, and Cho stood triumphantly over their fallen opponents. Pei and Anari exchanged curious glances.

"They ambushed Taibi." Neji explained.

"I was unaware that Taibi was such a young girl." Lee said, crouching down by the fallen 13 year old girl.

"Trained since birth," Anari said as the four in the branches dropped down. Mitsuki went to each of the fallen, sinking a kunai into their chest, except one. Anari was examining Taibi.

"Did we really have to kill them?" Naruto asked.

"Do you want the world to cease to exist as you know it?" Mitsuki asked simply. Naruto stared.

"That depends. What about it would change?"

"Naruto…." Neji glared.

"She was ambushed," Anari said, looking at the kunai jammed into Taibi's back.

"How could a protective kunoichi be ambushed?" Cho asked.

"She must have come across them, knowing that they would be waiting for her to take the jutsu for transport, and they probably started talking a little, then they killed her. So she was off her guard. After all, if she was manipulated into stealing the jutsu, she would be easily ambushed like that."

"Noting the surroundings," Neji commented, his Byakugan activated. "That analysis seems to be correct."

"Anari," Mitsuki motioned for Anari to join her before the only shinobi she didn't kill.

"Wake him up."

"On it, Lady Mitsuki." Anari did a few hand signs, and his hand glowed with green chakra. He placed it on the shinobi's forehead. After a while, the shinobi's eyes flickered open.

"Where are you headed with this jutsu?" Mitsuki asked seriously. He looked around, flustered.

"Tell us where you were going!" Naruto said. Kiba sniffed the air curiously.

"I don't know…." The shinobi said, a bit confused.

"Where were you taking it?" Cho demanded.

"We were supposed to meet another squad on the bank of the river of blood…."

"The river of blood?" Kiba asked curiously.

"Local legend says that the river was the site of suicide for seventy three people," Mitsuki explained. "Fifteen of them being ninja. Apparently, the river is a draw for death. Three battles were fought on the banks of the river, and the water bears a reddish hue."

"It's actually a type of sediment that causes the red coloration," Neji explained. "But the people living near the river believe that it is the blood of the suicide victims that stains the water."

"Didn't that seem suspicious to you?" Anari asked the shinobi. "Meeting someone at the River of Blood, after you were to kill the person you gave you what you are giving to someone you are meeting at the River of Blood?"

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Even I would think that was weird."

"You would?" Kiba smirked in disbelief.

"Yeah! Why would anyone want to meet at a place called the River of Blood? That's just creepy."

Anari smiled. "Naruto, I meant that he was told to kill the person who gave him the jutsu. So the person he's supposed to give it to was probably told to kill him."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that…." Naruto thought for a moment.

"My master values my work…. He wouldn't have me killed…."

"What does he want with this jutsu?" Mitsuki asked.

"I don't know. But he's gonna get it…."

"What are you talking about?"

"We sent the jutsu already. This one here is a decoy." The shinobi smirked.

"Why would you tell us that?" Lee demanded. "Is this some kind of trick?"

"No, Lee, I used a jutsu that manipulates the part of his mind that makes you lie or deceive. He is unable to be dishonest while the jutsu is in effect."

"Well, what are we waiting here for?" Naruto said. "We need to get that jutsu back!"

"We can't just burst in there!" Mitsuki snapped. "If anything happens to that jutsu, you have no idea what could happen! We have to approach this with care and precision! Lives depend on this jutsu remaining safe!"

"Lady Mitsuki!" Anari smiled gently at her, and she took a deep breath to calm down.

"I apologize for shouting…." Mitsuki got up and walked a little ways away.

"Tell me!" Cho pounced on Anari. Pei hit the captured shinobi over the head, knocking him out.

"I can't tell you! I am sworn to secrecy!"

"Tell me Anari! I might die!"

"You will not, Cho."

"Well…. You might die!"

"I'd like to see you try to kill me." Anari smiled sweetly. Cho got off of him, sighing.

"Why do have to be so innocent looking and cute?" Cho glared.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?" Kiba growled at Anari.

"Down boy," Cho said with a smirk. "Anari's innocence and feminine features make him adorable like a little girl!"

Anari smiled cutely.

"We should be focusing on this mission," Neji said as Mitsuki paced nervously. "You can get better acquainted later."

"We have to catch up to that ninja." Lee said pointedly. Neji nodded.

"Right." Mitsuki finally said. "We have to hurry. We don't know when that ninja left."

"Thirty two minutes before we arrived," Neji and Anari said, the latter smiling kindly.

"That's when Taibi died." Anari elaborated.

"And I can tell by the surroundings."

"We have to pick up the pace then!" Mitsuki leapt into the trees after throwing a kunai into the shinobi. The others quickly followed, Pei picking up Taibi's body.

"I can take care of that for you, Pei!" Anari smiled kindly. Pei smiled slightly, but otherwise did nothing. Anari smiled in understanding.

The six shinobi, Akamaru, and Cho followed Mitsuki, who led to the river, instead of having Neji and Kiba lead.

They reached the trees near the river and leapt down.

"Six minutes," Neji said. Anari examined the dead shinobi that looked like the four they left dead in the forest.

"We aren't too far behind then," Mitsuki considered. "Is it just going to be a constant chain of death?"

"At least all the people in possession of the jutsu are dying," Anari smiled hopefully.

Pei put a hand on his shoulder. Then he set Taibi's body down. Anari pulled out a scroll, unrolled it and wrote on it, then did some hand signs, and Taibi's body disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"And now how do we know where they are headed?" Mitsuki looked across the river hopelessly.


	4. Chapter 4:  Rhyme and Reason

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 4: Rhyme and Reason

"Don't worry, Lady Mitsuki," Anari said, smiling. "We aren't too far behind them. We can catch up."

"No we can't, Anari. Not today. Look at the sun." Mitsuki turned to the setting sun. Anari smiled apologetically.

"We can hurry up and catch them!" Naruto said.

"Yeah, Akamaru and I have their scent!" Kiba said excitedly.

"Don't you pay attention?" Neji scolded. "Lady Mitsuki told us at the beginning that we cannot travel at night."

Pei was already setting up two tents. Cho was gathering twigs for a fire.

"But we'll be hours behind them then!" Naruto complained.

"I know!" Mitsuki snapped. "Do you think I am happy about having to stop? But that is out of my control! We need to stop at night! If I had my way, we wouldn't! But we have to!"

"Lady Mitsuki…." Anari put a hand on her shoulder, smiling gently, and she turned away from them, going to sit on the river bank.

"Why is she so edgy all of a sudden?" Naruto asked.

"You don't understand Lady Mitsuki." Anari smiled sadly. "She hasn't had an easy life…. And people in our village don't really understand that…."

"I thought you said she was very important in your village."

"She is. But that doesn't mean that she is very well understood."

"I know what it is like to be alienated and hated by your village…."

"Hated?" Anari smiled, amused. "Lady Mitsuki was never hated. Quite the opposite. She is the most loved person in our village." Then he smiled kindly as he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you had to grow up that way. But I thought that you of all people in your village would live like Lady Mitsuki, loved by all, even if you are misunderstood."

"What do you mean by me of all people?" Naruto gave Anari a suspicious look.

"Naruto!" Kiba called. "Get your lazy ass over here and help with these tents!"

"Don't call me lazy! I took down one of those guys back there without a partner!" Naruto glared, helping Kiba.

"You made dopplegangers!"

"Neji," Anari said. "When Lady Mitsuki retires, we will have to take turns keeping watch. I will take the first shift, and I would like if one of your squad joined me."

"I will take that shift with you." Neji nodded as Anari smiled sweetly. "When will we be able to leave in the morning?"

"Once the sun rises, we can leave."

"Very well."

Mitsuki and Anari went into one tent, and after a while, Anari came back out, smiling sadly, staring into the fire. Pei and Cho went into the other tent Pei had set up. Naruto and Lee shared a tent, and Kiba and Akamaru slept cuddled together without protection of a tent, the last one being left for Neji, who sat with Anari by the fire.

"Why do we need to keep watch like this, Anari?"

"Lady Mitsuki is very important to our village. It is very important that she is kept safe at all times." Anari still had that sad smile.

"Why can she not travel at night?"

"I'm not really sure that it would be appropriate for me to tell you."

"I can see that even though Lady Mitsuki is of great importance to your entire village, that you probably understand her the most."

"I do. When I was in the academy, I found out something serious about my family. Lady Mitsuki is the most important person in our village. I am technically her closest relative. When I first started at the academy, my grandmother performed a jutsu on me. A secret jutsu that is passed down only in my family. My entire reason for living is to protect Lady Mitsuki. I only wanted to be a shinobi so that one day I can find a cure for her…."

"A cure?"

"Yes. She did not choose the life she leads. She did not ask for it. Just like Naruto did not choose his life, and you did not choose yours. That curse mark….have they ever used it against you?"

Neji stared at him. "How did you know?"

Anari smiled slightly. "I am very perceptive. When I first met Pei, I said to him, 'your defensive fighting will be the perfect match with my medical ninjutsu!' And he was so shocked that I knew he was a defensive fighter that he turned six shades of red."

"Oh…. But, no, they haven't. And how do you know about Naruto?"

Anari smiled. "Perceptive. And Pei told me. He wants to be the Mitsukikage one day so that he can help inspire peace. And with me finding Lady Mitsuki a cure, I believe that peace really is a possibility. My destiny is to cure Lady Mitsuki, even if it means I will die trying."

"Your destiny?" Neji watched Anari carefully.

Cho, Kiba, and Akamaru took the second shift.

"So, what exactly are we watching for?" Kiba yawned.

"People who are coming to hurt Lady Mitsuki. And to make sure Lady Mitsuki stays safely in her tent."

"Heh, what's that supposed to mean? Is she the type to sneak out or something?" Kiba smirked. Cho didn't say anything. She just stared at the tent.

"By the way, why aren't you sharing her tent? Why are you in there with the boys….?"

Cho smirked. "Are you jealous or something?"

"Tch, jealous…." Kiba blushed a little. Cho snuggled up to him, smiling slightly. Kiba blushed, then smirked, his arms wrapping around Cho.

"No one stays in the same tent as Lady Mitsuki. And don't worry, Anari and Pei are like my brothers. Well, Anari's kinda like a sister and a brother…."

"Heh. Why does he look so girly anyway?"

"I don't know. We met when we were chosen to be put on Lady Mitsuki's squad. In fact, none of us knew each other before then. I was always with the more dedicated trainers of the academy. Pei was always off on his own, being so shy that I didn't even realize he was in the same class as me. But he was always the smartest, too. But since he's so quiet, I never noticed him. And Anari was actually training in the infirmary at that time. He was so dedicated to becoming a great medic-nin that he was training with them before he even graduated from the academy into a genin.

"I remember Anari telling us that all the other medic-nin thought he was a girl, too. He never seems bothered by it. But Anari is so friendly, I think he just kind of finds it amusing. I always get the feeling that he is hiding something, though. Like his friendliness is to hide a deep dark secret. But that's probably just my imagination speaking. Cuz I want that to happen, you know?"

"Heh, yeah. That would be pretty dramatic and interesting, for friendly, feminine Anari to have a tortured past." Kiba smirked, as did Cho. Akamaru was snoozing.

Pei, Naruto, and Lee took the last shift. Naruto was fighting just to stay awake, so surprisingly, their shift was the quietest. Lee sat attentively, peering around suspiciously. Naruto dozed on and off, shaking himself awake every couple minutes. Pei sat, watching the tent, lost in thought.

When the sun rose, Anari went into Mitsuki's tent, and a few minutes later, came out with Mitsuki. They went to the edge of the water, which was a muddy, reddish color, as the others began tearing down the camp.

"I know everything, Anari…." Mitsuki muttered, staring into the blood red water. Anari smiled kindly.

"I know that you are afraid of what might happen to me. I know that even though you won't tell anyone, you are even more frightened than I am."

"Why would I be, Lady Mitsuki?" Anari smiled sweetly.

"I know who you are, Anari. You told us when our squad was first formed. I know what will happen to you if I die…. I can't let something like that happen."

Anari smiled gently. "Lady Mitsuki, there are things about Mitsukigakure that you are unaware of. One of those things is what will happen to me if you die. You worry far too much, Lady Mitsuki, and about someone who doesn't deserve your concern."

"I can never have a normal life, Anari. I don't want anyone to have to live that way, even though my destiny dictates otherwise."

"Things will change, Lady Mitsuki. I promise. I will find a cure for you, or I will die trying."

"Don't say something like that. You don't know what will happen. I don't want you to be held to something like that."

"Lady Mitsuki, I want to. I will cure you. It is my destiny. I promise that I will cure you. Not just for the village, but for you. You are not only my relative, but you are like the mother I never had."

"Yes, I know that your mother died in labor with you, and I am sorry for that."

"It's no one's fault but my own!" Anari smiled, a bit pained, as if he was trying to cover up the pain with a light, joking manner. Mitsuki put a hand on his shoulder.

"It is not your fault, Anari. Do not blame yourself for something that was out of your control."

~Flashback~

A six year old Anari peeked into a room, where a large man sat with a rather small woman.

"After my wife died, I just didn't see any reason to continue being a shinobi," the man told the woman. "And it's hard, every day, because that child is here."

"Soon, you will have another child," the woman smiled and patted her stomach. Anari just stared.

"That will ease the pain. But the other one is still the next in line for clan inheritance."

"Your daughter looks a lot like your late wife."

"I don't have a daughter. Anari is a boy. But yes, he does look like her. That is one reason why it is so painful having him around."

"Anari…." A little ancient woman beckoned to him from a bedroom. Anari went in to see the woman in a rocking chair.

"Why do you listen to that old coot of a father of yours?"

"He's my father," Anari smiled respectfully.

"You are a beautiful little boy."

"I know. I look like mother. Why doesn't father like me, grandmother?"

"Come here, Anari." She motioned for him to climb up onto her lap, which he did, smiling curiously. "Your father loves you, child. But he is very hurt and confused. Your mother died the day you were born. So it is very hard for your father to accept that the happiest day of his life is also the saddest. Do you understand?"

"Yes, grandmother." Anari smiled gratefully.

"Well, you will always be my favorite grandchild, Anari." Anari's grandmother smiled. "And tomorrow you start at the academy, isn't that right?"

"Yeah. I want to be a medic-nin, grandmother." Anari smiled happily.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"So I can find a way to heal Lady Mitsuki."

"Heal Lady Mitsuki?" She smiled proudly. "I'm sure you can do that. But first, I have to share a secret with you, my dear sweet Anari."

"What is it?" Anari's eyes sparkled as he smiled in anticipation.

"I was a kunoichi when I was young. And my grandfather showed me a secret special jutsu passed down just in our family. I would like to show it to you, if you want to see it."

"Could it help me heal Lady Mitsuki?"

"Oh, I'm sure it could. Now, close your eyes…."

~End Flashback~

"Anari?" Mitsuki had returned to the torn down campsite in order to get something to eat. Pei was now standing next to the pensive, slightly smiling young shinobi.

"Oh, good morning, Pei!"

"Hm. You are getting nervous aren't you? About the jutsu, and about Lady Mitsuki surviving."

"Nothing gets past you, Pei!" Anari smiled cheerfully. Pei adjusted his glasses.

"No matter what happens, just remember that I think of you as more than just a shinobi on the same squad as myself. I think of you as my brother. So if you are ever in need, I will always have your back."

"Thank you, Pei. I feel the same way about you." Anari smiled sincerely. Pei adjusted his glasses again, his cheeks tinting a little as the two returned to the others.

"What the hell?" Naruto glared. "You leave us to do all the work!"

Anari simply smiled. Mitsuki crossed her arms, glaring back at Naruto.

"Anari does a lot more for this squad than you know! Without his dedication and hard work, you could be dead right now!"

Naruto stared at her, confused. Kiba smirked.

"Yeah, Naruto. You could be dead."

"Shut the hell up, dog breath!"

"Don't insult people like that, stupid!" Cho glared angrily at Naruto.

"All of you, quit it!" Neji said seriously, glaring. "If I am not mistaken, we have a lot of lost time to make up for. So stop bickering and let's get a move on. Is everybody ready?"

"We have the scent!" Kiba called, as he and Akamaru sniffed around the river bank.

"Excellent!" Mitsuki said, and the group ran across the water to the field of extremely tall grass on the other side, Kiba and Akamaru leading the way. They came to a small area where there had been a campfire, and the grass was patted down where three people had slept. The group continued, but the ninja with the jutsu had had too much of a head start, and they had only narrowed the gap.

The sun started to set, and the two squads had to stop again. As the night before, Mitsuki had her own tent, Lee and Naruto shared, and Neji had his own. Pei and Anari shared while Cho, Kiba, and Akamaru kept watch, but Cho slept under the stars with Kiba and Akamaru.

The next day, they set off again, with Kiba and Akamaru following the same scent. They were entering another forest. Shortly after entering, Kiba announced the scent of blood. They came across three dead shinobi, which were the ones they had been tracking.

"Sixteen minutes," Neji and Anari confirmed.

"We're getting closer," Mitsuki said. "And it isn't too late in the day. We may be able to catch them if we hurry." Kiba and Akamaru picked up the scent of the next two shinobi with the jutsu and led the way through the trees.

"It's just like we're playing some ridiculous and boring game of tag…." Naruto complained to Pei and Anari.

"But if we lose," Anari smiled. "People will die!"

"Yeah…. So it's like the ultimate game of tag."

"Yeah, you could say that!"

"So you're a pretty powerful medic-nin…."

"Well, I guess so!"

"Could you make someone remember stuff?"

"That depends on a lot of different things."

"Oh, I see."

"Why, is there something you had in mind?" Anari smiled kindly.

"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about a friend who could benefit from remembering who his friends are…." Naruto frowned.

"Oh." Anari smiled. "Don't worry, if he really is your friend, everything will work out!"

"Heh…."

"We're almost right on top of them!" Neji and Kiba announced. The ninja picked up their pace, and soon found themselves tree hopping above two shinobi who were running on the forest floor, one of them with the jutsu scroll strapped to his back.

"Let's get that jutsu back!" Naruto dropped down on top of the one without the jutsu, drop kicking him into the ground. The other glanced back, but kept running.

"Hey! Get back here!" Naruto yelled, running after him.

"Naruto!" Neji scolded. Lee jumped down in front of the shinobi, doing Leaf Whirlwind, knocking him down.

"Good job, Lee!" Kiba cheered, and the other ninja dropped down, forming a circle around the shinobi.

"You must be the famous Lady Mitsuki of Mitsukigakure…." The shinobi smirked at Mitsuki.

"Give that jutsu back!" Cho, Kiba, Lee, and Naruto shouted.

"Heh. It's getting late, isn't it, Lady Mitsuki? That's right, the master told us all about you…."

"Just give it back!" Mitsuki said.

"Or what? You'll kill me? See, if any of you come near me, I'll destroy it."

The others didn't move.

"You don't know what will happen if anything happens to that jutsu," Neji said seriously. "If you just hand it over, we can leave peacefully and with no conflict. Think about it. What could your master have offered you that is more valuable than your life?"

"I was given orders that if you caught me, and I had no other choice, to destroy it," the shinobi smirked. "And I will. So don't come near me, or the jutsu goes bye-bye."


	5. Chapter 5:  The Secret

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 5: The Secret

Anari, Mitsuki, Pei, and Cho were frozen, not wanting to provoke the shinobi to do anything to the jutsu. Naruto, Kiba, and Lee glared dangerously. Neji remained completely calm.

"What is your name?" Neji asked calmly but seriously. The shinobi smirked.

"That isn't very important, now is it?"

"I am Hyuuga Neji of Konohagakure. This is Rock Lee, Uzumaki Naruto, and Inuzuka Kiba, with his dog Akamaru. And with Lady Mitsuki is Cho, Pei, and Anari, all of Mitsukigakure."

"Fine then. I am Kabou, of the Land of Shadows."

"Kabou," Pei said. Naruto, Lee, and Kiba all stared, utterly shocked that Pei actually said something. "I don't know what your master promised you in exchange for your service, but I must tell you that if anything happens to that jutsu, we could all very well be destroyed. Do you know what that jutsu does?"

"Master just told me to get it from those guys and take it to him."

"So you are the last in the chain, then?" Mitsuki asked. "You are taking it directly to your master?"

"Yeah."

"Who is your master?"

"He just goes by master. I have never seen him."

"I see. Do you know anything he has planned for this jutsu?"

"No idea. He doesn't tell me his plans."

"I see…."

"What if you are just a pawn like the rest?" Cho asked seriously, glaring. "What if he kills you after he gets the jutsu?"

"I've been working for my master since I was a kid."

"That's what the last group, that you killed, thought," Kiba said, growling a bit.

"Heh. They couldn't be trusted like me." Kabou smirked, then whipped a kunai at Cho.

"Cho!" Kiba pulled her out of the way just in time. Cho glared at Kabou, and was about to pounce on him, when he held up the jutsu, smirking. Cho stopped in her tracks, staring, her eyes wide.

"That's right. Not one step closer, or the jutsu goes."

"What is your plan, then?" Lee asked. "You cannot leave because we surround you."

"I'm going to keep you here until night falls." Kabou smirked darkly and laughed maniacally. Cho, Pei, and Anari quickly looked to Mitsuki, who was staring, shocked and nervous.

"Heh, we can wait that long!" Naruto smirked.

"But they can't." Kabou nodded to the Mitsukigakure ninja. And Kabou did have them just stand there, with constant threat of destroying the secret forbidden jutsu if they moved. The sun started to set.

"Please, Kabou, don't do this." Mitsuki said desperately. "We will let you leave, just please, don't destroy the jutsu and let us do our usual nightly process…."

"Lady Mitsuki!" Neji and Naruto stared, utterly shocked.

"Just keep the jutsu safe and let us do what we must before the sun sets!"

"How do I know you will keep your word?" Kabou smirked.

"You will regret this decision…." Mitsuki glared darkly. Anari bit his bottom lip nervously. Cho glared at Kabou, holding back tears. Pei looked downward.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. "You'd let him get away with the jutsu just so you can sleep? I thought you said that this jutsu was the most important thing in your village! I know that Lady Mitsuki is some special important person in your village, but how could you rather have her sleep than save something that you said could destroy the world?"

"You don't understand!" Cho yelled, tears rolling down her face. "Lady Mitsuki isn't just some type of royalty in our village! She is the most important person in our village! She is the direct descendant of the first Mitsukikage who founded our village!"

"So what! I would think this jutsu would take precedence over her beauty sleep! You say she cares so much about the village, but how can she if she is willing to give it up just for some sleep!"

"She never stops protecting the village!"

"Yeah, that's why she has to sleep from the time the sun sets to the time it rises!"

"You don't understand anything about Lady Mitsuki! You never could!"

"Cho!" Mitsuki barked, causing the kunoichi to look desperately to her sensei. "The sun is almost completely set. He will see soon enough…."

"Lady Mitsuki…." Anari went to take a step toward her.

"Hey!" Kabou snapped. "One more step toward her and the jutsu goes up in flames."

"Trust me, you don't want to see her at night, Kabou…."

"Trust me, you move and I torch the jutsu." He smirked. Anari took a breath and didn't move.

"I'm sorry…." Mitsuki said as the sun disappeared. "It has been so long since I've had something to eat…." Her had changed into a sinister growl. The Konoha shinobi stared, utterly confused and shocked. Akamaru whimpered.

Mitsuki crouched so that her hands were on the ground, too. Her eyes had an evil, hungry look, and she growled at Kabou, who had gone white.

"St-stay where you are! Or the jutsu-"

"I don't care about that piece of paper!" Mitsuki growled. "I want your marrow…." She snarled and pounced onto Kabou, moving too quickly for him to react. The jutsu rolled off to the side. Kabou's screams could barely be heard over the sounds of crunching bones and Mitsuki's snarls and growls.

When Kabou was nothing but a pile of bloody remains, Mitsuki, her hands and face stained with blood, turned, sniffing, to Naruto.

"You will make a nice little meal…."

"Lady Mitsuki?" Naruto stared.

"I can smell something powerful in you…." She pounced, but was pulled back by a wire that wrapped around her waist. Anari held the other end of the wire, Pei and Cho helping him hold it. Mitsuki growled angrily.

"Lady Mitsuki, I'm sorry!" Anari said, sincerity obvious in his pained voice.

"You will be after I kill you and devour your marrow!"

Neji whipped a wire around Mitsuki from the other side, so she couldn't run toward her squad.

"Help me with this!" Neji said, and Lee, Naruto, and Kiba grabbed the wire to help hold it in place.

"Let me out of here!" Mitsuki roared.

"Kiba, come take my place!" Anari said. Kiba nodded and hurried to replace Anari, who carefully placed four spikes around Mitsuki, doing a few hand signs, and Mitsuki stopped moving, but kept growling and snarling.

"You can let go of the wire…." Anari said timidly.

"I would suggest securing it, though," Pei said. Neji secured his to the ground with a spike. Kiba did the same.

"What happened to her?" Naruto asked as Pei picked up the jutsu.

~Origin Flashback~

There was a powerful shinobi who lived with a horrible curse. Each night, his mind was over taken by the Jinmenjuushin. He was a danger to every one around him, and himself. He went to a secluded place, one he could only enter and exit during the full moon.

His wife found him in his secluded area, and vowed that she would stay with him until the end of his days, jinmenjuushin or otherwise. They ended up having children, who had children, who had children, and Mitsukigakure was born. But the Mitsukigakure was growing old, and was greatly troubled because all of the people in the village bore the same curse as he.

He researched until the very end of his life. On his death bed, he called his oldest son's oldest child's child, his direct descendant. The Mitsukikage took his great-grandchild to the highest point of the village and performed the secret forbidden jutsu on him.

The jutsu sealed the entire village's jinmenjuushin as long as the direct line of the Mitsukigakure, known as the Sacrificial branch, was alive.

To prevent more spreading of the curse, the heir of the Sacrificial branch has one specific duty in life. That duty is to have one and only one child before they die. And that child becomes the new heir.

~End Origin Flashback~

"And Lady Mitsuki is the heir?" Neji asked.

"Yes…." Cho said, leaning her head against Kiba, who patted her comfortingly.

"That's why she is such an important part of the village," Anari said. "As long as she is alive and has a child before she dies, the rest of the village doesn't suffer the curse of the jinmenjuushin. Only she does…."

"Why would someone choose to live like that?" Naruto asked.

"She didn't. She was born into it. She had no choice in the matter."

"But she loves the village," Cho said. "She loves all of us, so she takes her position very seriously…. So, Anari…. TELL ME!"

"I really shouldn't…." Anari smiled slightly.

"Tell her what?" Kiba asked.

"If Lady Mitsuki is pregnant!" Cho whined. "That's what the special preparation was! Because if something happens to the jutsu, at least there will be a new heir!"

Anari smiled.

"I wanna know, too!" Naruto said.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you!" Anari smiled happily. "Lady Mitsuki is with child."

"YAY!" Cho leapt us and danced around victoriously. Anari laughed.

"Who's the father?" Kiba smirked.

"A shinobi from your village." Anari smiled. Kiba and Naruto exchanged glances.

"Who was honored with being the father of such an important person?" Lee asked curiously.

"She didn't tell me." Anari smiled.

"So, that's why you have to stop every night…." Neji said.

"Yes. I perform a sleeping jutsu on her, and then the perimeter paralyze jutsu. That way, she is asleep, but if she wakes up, she can't move."

"Wow," Naruto said. "I had no idea that jutsu was such a huge deal."

"Yeah…." Anari sighed, smiling a very little bit.

Both groups stayed up until the sun rose. When the sun rose, Mitsuki collapsed into an exhausted heap on the ground when Anari released the jutsu.

"Lady Mitsuki, are you okay?" Anari asked, smiling hopefully.

"I think so…. What happened? Is the jutsu safe….?"

"It's fine…. Just take a rest…." Anari smiled comfortingly. Pei had set up a tent, and Mitsuki went inside, falling asleep.

"So what do we do now?" Neji asked Anari.

"Well, now we should wait until Lady Mitsuki gains some strength. Then we'll head back to the village. Since we have the jutsu, really, our mission is over."

"Right." Neji nodded.

"Anari…." Pei said quietly. Anari smiled, joining Pei by a large tree.

"This isn't our jutsu."

"What do you mean, Pei?"

"This is another decoy." Pei tapped the jutsu, which, upon closer observation, was clearly too new to be the secret forbidden jutsu. Anari's smile became a frown, and he rushed to Neji.

"We have a horrible problem."

"The jutsu is a fake?" Neji said.

"Yes."

"Alright. After Lady Mitsuki is rested, we'll work on finding the jutsu again."

"Sounds good…. So we were tricked into making Lady Mitsuki stay up at night…." Anari glared at the shredded remains of Kabou.

"Maybe you should get some rest, too, Anari. You seem pretty drained yourself."

"I wouldn't feel right about it."

"Come on, you get some rest. I'll wake you up if anything happens."

"Alright, thanks, Neji." Anari smiled and jumped up into a tree.

"Anari actually likes sleeping in the trees," Cho told Kiba. "But he never does because he has to watch over Lady Mitsuki, so it's safer if he simply stays on the ground with her."

"Why does he like sleeping in trees?" Naruto asked.

Cho shrugged. "Cuz he's weird."

"Oh."

Around noon, Mitsuki and Anari were both rested, and Mitsuki cleaned herself up, avoiding everyone's eyes. She also ignored the mess she had made of Kabou.

"Ready to go?" Anari asked Mitsuki, smiling gently.

"I think so…."

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Lady Mitsuki. I won't let that happen again."

"It's not your fault, Anari. You had no choice. It was all to save the jutsu."

"About that, Lady Mitsuki…."

"Was it another decoy jutsu?" Mistuki sighed.

"Yes, and I'm sorry…."

"It's not your fault. You didn't know…."

"I should have."

"There was no way for you to know, Anari. Don't blame yourself."

Anari smiled slightly. Mitsuki put a hand on his shoulder and smiled gently and encouragingly at him.

"I appreciate everything you have done for me, Anari. I really do."

Anari smiled.

"And I know that if I die before my child is born, that you will be the new heir."

Anari didn't say anything, he just averted his eyes.

"If I don't produce an heir before I die, since you are the next direct descendant, the jutsu will be performed on you, and you will assume the role of the heir, and live with this curse."

Anari smiled slightly.

"But I don't want that to happen. You are like a son to me, Anari. I don't want you to live like this."

"I appreciate that, Lady Mitsuki, but I don't want you to have to live like this, either. That's why I want to find you a cure. And like I said before, I promise that I will. Your destiny is to bear a child. Mine is to cure you so that you can live a normal life, and so that no one ever has to live with this curse ever again." Anari smiled.

"We have the scent!" Kiba said excitedly.

"Alright, let's move!" Mitsuki said, and they were off, following Kiba and Akamaru through the trees, closer to the Land of Shadows.

"How could they have tricked us like that?" Cho asked.

"It seemed that they had two groups meet the last ones with the jutsu," Neji explained. "And then, while we followed one, the other went ahead with the jutsu, tricking us into thinking we caught the jutsu holder."

"But why didn't they smell that?"

"It seems that they are very skilled in remaining untraceable. It's a good thing that Lady Tsunade picked two of the best trackers in the village to join you."

"Three!" Kiba corrected. Neji rolled his eyes.

"But if they are untraceable," Cho asked, "Then how did they pick up the scent?"

"They are good at masking themselves," Kiba smirked. "But I've found that jutsu has a distinct scent, too. They aren't so good at masking that!"

"Heh, great!"

"Just keep that scent," Mitsuki said. Kiba smirked.

"We are about to enter the Land of Shadows," Neji announced.


	6. Chapter 6:  The Land of Shadows

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 6: The Land of Shadows

The Land of Shadows is a dark and dreary place. Unlike most dark places, it doesn't fill one with comfort and security, but more with skepticism and paranoia. The shadows lurk, seeming to follow and watch you. For this reason, our eight ninja and Akamaru, found themselves walking through the Land of Shadows, not running. Neji had his Byakugan activated, in order to keep watch for the time of day above the canopy of thick trees that caused the shadows.

"We have to be very careful," Mitsuki said. "We don't know what is going on here…."

"The Land of Shadows is a very mysterious land, because not much is seen about it." Neji elaborated.

"Well, duh, it's the Land of Shadows…." Naruto muttered.

"But there are not many people living here. The leader of the Land of Shadows is a shinobi named Machi. Lord Machi uses shadow manipulation, much like Shikamaru. But he is a bit more….enthusiastic than Shikamaru. Not only that, but he is more than just a shadow manipulator. He can become a shadow. His origin village is unknown, but apparently, the people of the Land of Shadows are content with their ruler."

"But then who could be operating such a scandal under Lord Machi?" Lee asked.

"We'll have to find out," Naruto said, smirking.

"We are getting close…." Kiba said.

"Good…." Mitsuki said. "Neji, how is the day light?"

"The sun is beginning to set. Should we begin to set up camp?"

"Yes, that would be the best idea…."

Naruto grumbled as they began setting up their campsite.

"No fire tonight," Pei muttered to Anari, who smiled and nodded. Anari turned to the others before going into the tent with Mitsuki.

"No fire tonight," Anari smiled sweetly.

"What?" Naruto stared.

"Pei said no fire, so there won't be a fire tonight!"

"Pei never says anything!"

"Pei may not say much, but he's extremely intelligent, so when he does say something, it's worth listening to!" Anari smiled pleasantly. Naruto frowned, grumbling as he set up a tent.

"Pei does make a valid point," Neji said. "After all, people would be attracted to the light source in the Land of Shadows."

"Meh…." Naruto glared a little.

"Why, Naruto?" Kiba smirked. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

"No way! I just don't think it's very safe! After all, what if someone does come to hurt Lady Mitsuki?"

Kiba tapped his nose, smirking. "That's what this is for, Naruto." Then he pointed to Neji. "And he has these special organs called eyes."

Naruto just glared a little. Cho smirked, finding Kiba's humor very amusing. Anari came out of the tent, his smile very slight, but still there.

"I have to say," Neji commented as he and Anari sat before Mitsuki's tent while the others slept. "That you really look a lot better when you're smiling than when you aren't. Back in that forest with Kabou, that was the first time I saw you not smiling. It was weird. You really look odd without a smile on your face."

"Um, thank you!" Anari smiled sweetly. "Pei told me something like that once."

~Flashback~

"Why are you always so quiet, Pei?" Anari, as a genin, asked genin Pei as they walked down a street in Mitsukigakure with Cho. Anari had a pleasant smile on his face.

"I mean, you are so smart, I know you are!"

Pei blushed a little. Anari smiled cutely.

"Come on, Pei! Don't think of me as your squad mate, think of me as your friend, or brother!"

"Brother?" Cho said skeptically.

"Yeah, brother! I like to think of you two as my brother and sister!" Anari smiled sweetly.

"Wait…. You're a guy!" Cho stared, shocked. Pei blushed even more.

"I thought you were a girl!" Cho continued.

"I thought you were kind of pretty…." Pei muttered, not looking at either of them.

"Oh…. I'm sorry…." Anari looked forward. Cho, still trying to process Anari's gender, entered her home as the two boys continued down the street.

"Um, well, Pei…. I was wondering…. Would I be able to stay with you tonight?" Anari smiled hopefully. Pei was still avoiding Anari's eyes, but simply nodded.

"Thanks, Pei!" Anari smiled gratefully.

They reached Pei's home, but no one was there, so they went straight to Pei's room, where he set up a small cot for Anari.

"I really appreciate this, Pei!" Anari smiled sweetly. Pei blushed slightly. Soon, the sun had completely set, and after eating fried rice and miso soup, the boys settled in for bed.

"Anari…." Pei said into the dark silence.

"Yeah?" Anari smiled slightly.

"You look kind of strange when you aren't smiling…."

"What do you mean?"

"When Cho said that she thought you were a girl…. You didn't smile after that for a while…."

"I just felt bad for the confusion I caused is all!"

"Well, you don't look right unless you're smiling…."

Anari smiled contentedly.

~End Flashback~

"Pei really is very smart," Anari smiled slightly. "And he's the best friend I've ever had. He's like a brother to me, really."

"He is very shy and withdrawn…."

"He talks to me more than anyone. It takes him a long time to get used to someone. And once he does get used to a person, it takes a long time for him to feel comfortable enough to speak freely with them. He only started talking to me two years after we met, really. But he still doesn't really talk to Cho or even Lady Mitsuki."

"Sometimes there is just someone who connects with people, or a certain person. Take Naruto for example. He has this unique ability to become friends with pretty much everyone he meets. He seems to be able to connect with everyone on some level. Take you for instance, Naruto is like you because even though he has had a hard childhood and a mysterious past, his squad is like his family, and he has made many friends. You are also both generally happy, inspiring others to take on your relative joy."

"What makes you think I have a mysterious past and hard childhood?"

"Because I have, too. And I can see it in your eyes."

"You have special eyes, though, don't you…?"

"Yes, I do. And I have a curse mark from my clan that keeps my abilities in check."

"I know how that is…."

"There is more to your village's mystery than just Lady Mitsuki being the heir. You are somehow involved, aren't you?"

Anari smiled.

"Our shift is over."

Neji sighed and went into the tent with Lee. Anari sighed in relief, smiling and waking up Cho, Kiba, and Akamaru for their shift.

"I wish there was a fire…." Kiba muttered as Cho snuggled against him. They were leaning back against Akamaru.

"Why?" Cho sighed. "You aren't scared, are you?"

"No…. If there was a fire, I could see you…."

"Aw, you're sweet." Cho smiled, snuggling against him.

"Why aren't you scared?"

"What do you mean?"

"After seeing what happens when Lady Mitsuki is awake at night, aren't you afraid of her?"

"That wasn't her. That was jinmenjuushin. Does it scare you?"

"It worries me."

"Does it concern you that I have the jinmenjuushin inside of me, too?"

"I can't picture you being like that…."

"Well, I am…."

"No you aren't, Cho. Just because that is inside of you, it doesn't mean that you are like that. That isn't you. It is something you can't control. You didn't choose that."

"Neither did Lady Mitsuki. But if it wasn't for her, I'd be the same way."

"Don't go back with them, Cho…. Stay in Konoha with Akamaru and me…."

"Just because I wouldn't live in Mitsukigakure anymore doesn't mean I'm not from Mitsukigakure…. What if the heir died, Kiba? My jinmenjuushin would be released…."

"Anari said he would find a cure."

"There is no cure. Anari thinks positively about everything, not realistically."

"Cho…. Please, you are the most beautiful, wonderful girl I have ever met. I don't want to stop seeing you after this mission…."

"Oh, look, our shift is over…." Cho woke up Pei, and Kiba woke up Lee and Naruto. Then they went back to Akamaru and went to sleep.

"Hey, Pei…." Naruto yawned.

Pei didn't say anything. He just looked to Naruto.

"So, Lady Mitsuki is like the hero of your village?"

Pei nodded, adjusting his glasses.

"Well…. I was supposed to be the hero of my village…."

Pei watched him with interest.

"But for some reason, no one treated me like that. Everyone hated me. Except my teacher, Iruka. And then my squad was like my family. Why is it that everyone hates me when I was supposed to be the hero but they all love Lady Mitsuki…?"

Pei didn't say anything for a long time. He sat there, peering through the darkness at Naruto. Finally, after a very long painful silence, Pei said, "People tend to fear what they do not know, Naruto. People do not understand you. They do not know what you have sacrificed for their safety. But people know that Lady Mitsuki has sacrificed a normal life of freedom to keep all of us from being overtaken by our jinmenjuushin."

"I never thought of it that way…. Hey, you and Anari are kinda like brothers, huh?"

Pei nodded.

"I had a friend who was like a brother to me. But he left our village. He is a rogue ninja now. But I won't give up! I will bring Sasuke back to Konohagakure! Wether he likes it or not!"

Lee and Pei stared. Not too long after that, the others woke up and Anari went into Mitsuki's tent. When they came out, Kiba and Akamaru sniffed around for the scent again.

"We have it." Kiba announced. And they were off, carefully moving through the mysterious Land of Shadows. Kiba and Akamaru led the way, with Neji's Byakugan activated, keeping watch not only on the sky, but also on the other surroundings.

"This place seems so desolate," Neji said.

"Well," Mitsuki said. "The Land of Shadows is supposed to be one of the least populated of known areas."

"Not surprisingly…." Naruto muttered.

"What's wrong?" Cho smirked. "Scared of a little shadow?"

"No way! I just think it's suspicious!"

"Keep your voice down!" Neji said, glaring.

Anari smiled at Pei, who allowed himself a small smile. Suddenly, Kiba grabbed his stomach and doubled over.

"Kiba!" Cho ran to him as Akamaru whimpered, nudging Kiba with his nose.

"My stomach hurts…."

"It's not time to whine about being hungry…." Naruto grumbled, rubbing his stomach.

"Not like that," Kiba glared.

"Let me check," Anari smiled, making his way to Kiba. "How does it hurt?"

"Like there's a shuriken or something stabbing it…. But there's nothing there…."

"Hm…." Anari smiled thoughtfully.

"What's wrong with him?" Cho asked nervously.

"Wait," Neji said, "there is a jutsu that was set there."

"A set jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Someone set a jutsu there and disguised it as a shadow. When Kiba stepped there, it activated on him. I didn't see it before because it was very well disguised…. As a shadow…."

"Hm, well then." Anari smiled. "I can help!" He did a few hand signs and put his glowing green hands on Kiba's chest.

"The jutsu seems to have embedded a shuriken in your stomach."

"Ow…. Get it out!" Kiba whimpered, Akamaru licking his face, also whimpering.

"I can do that." Anari smiled gently. He opened up Kiba's jacket and pulled his shirt up. Anari did some more hand signs, and his hand glowed green. He smiled gently, sticking his hand through Kiba's flesh.

"Ew!" Naruto grimaced. "Hey, Kiba! You have a hand in your body…."

"Yeah, I noticed that!" Kiba growled, then groaned. Anari smiled in amusement and moved his hand around a little.

"I think I found it."

"Just hurry and get it out!" Kiba whimpered.

"Heh," Naruto smirked. "Wait 'til I tell Shino and Chouji."

"You aren't gonna tell anyone about this!"

"Cut it out, Naruto!" Neji glared. "This is no time to be joking around like that! If Kiba can't track this jutsu, then we can consider this entire mission a failure!"

"Got it!" Anari smiled triumphantly.

"Great! Now get it out." Kiba said.

"It might hurt a little. Going in didn't because my hand isn't sharp. But trying to pull a sharp object out might hurt a little." Anari smiled nervously.

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"I can hit a major blood vessel and you can bleed to death." Anari smiled slightly. Kiba stared.

"Anari's the best medic-nin ever!" Cho said confidently. "He won't hurt you! He is just informing you of what could happen if any other medic-nin was doing this!"

"It's true," Mitsuki added. "Anari was working in the infirmary when he was 9 years old. He wasn't even a genin yet. He doesn't even know some of the basic jutsu that ninja need to know before becoming genin."

"It's true." Anari said, smiling. "I can't make dopplegangers or do a simple substitution."

"His whole focus has always been on medical ninjutsu."

"Well…." Kiba looked from Anari's kindly smiling face to Cho, to Akamaru, then back to Anari. Akamaru whimpered, snuggling against Kiba.

"Alright, go ahead, pull it out…." Kiba closed his eyes, bracing for the pain that he was expecting from having a shuriken pulled out of his insides.

"Just do it as quickly as possible…."

"Kiba," Anari smiled.

"I just want it out…."

"Kiba."

"Hurry up and get it out already!"

"Kiba. I got it out before you said to do it quickly." He smiled cutely, holding up a bloody shuriken. Kiba stared. Then he looked down at his stomach, feeling it.

"Hey, I'm not hurt or anything…. Wow, thanks a lot, Anari!" Kiba smiled gratefully. Akamaru barked and licked Anari, who smiled and patted the dog's head.

"Healing people. It's what I do."

"But wait a second…." Neji said, drawing everyone's attention. "Why would someone set that trap? It seems to be set in a perimeter. But what could they be trying to keep people away from?"


	7. Chapter 7:  The Master

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 7: The Master

The ninja all stared at Neji, lost for words.

"Do you think that the ninja with the jutsu set this?" Naruto asked.

"No." Neji replied. "There is no way that they would have been able to set a perimeter like this. No, this goes deeper than that. That ninja obviously knew how to get past it. But there is really something suspicious going on here. Do you think that the whole Land of Shadows could be involved in stealing this jutsu?"

"I didn't want to think it could be like that," Mitsuki said. "But that is possible. But then how could someone have known about the jutsu?"

"Maybe they had a man on the inside." Naruto said. "Maybe Taibi's whole purpose was to learn how to steal the jutsu, but just like all the others, had to be killed to keep their master from being discovered."

"That's possible, too…." Mitsuki thought for a moment. "You wait here." Mitsuki jumped up into the canopy of trees. Anari looked to Pei and Cho, who both were still looking up toward where Mitsuki had gone.

"I'll go see what's wrong." Anari smiled and followed Mitsuki.

"Lady Mitsuki…." Anari smiled gently, joining her on a branch. They could see the sky above the canopy.

"This is all my fault, Anari…."

"What? Lady Mitsuki, how is any of this your fault?"

"Because I am the heir. If you three had a normal squad leader, you wouldn't have had to stop when the sun set. And you would have caught the jutsu a long time ago. But since we had to stop, we were so far behind that the jutsu is probably already with whoever this master is."

"Lady Mitsuki, this is not your fault. You didn't choose to be the heir."

"I just don't want anything to happen to the three of you. Or to anyone else in the village."

"I know…. We all know. And we are all so grateful. We will get the jutsu back. Nothing will happen to it. Everything will work out." Anari smiled confidently.

"How can you know that?"

"Because, we have the best ninja on our side. We have Cho and Pei. And then we have the best from Konohagakure, too. And we have you."

"I appreciate your confidence, Anari…." Mitsuki smiled a little at Anari's happy expression.

"But, honestly, you need to learn to be a little more realistic. You may be the most advanced medic-nin in Mitsukigakure, but really, you are far too optimistic. You are so smart. But you have no sense of reality. Everything doesn't just work out because you want it to." Mitsuki returned to the ground with the others, leaving Anari alone on the treetops.

"Where's Anari?" Naruto asked Mitsuki.

"He should be down in a minute. I said some things that really got him thinking."

"Oh, okay…."

"We should just keep going. Anari will follow us. It'll be fine."

Kiba nodded and he and Akamaru started sniffing around.

"We got it!" Kiba smirked.

"And I know the kind of shadow that jutsu was, so I can look out for more." Neji added.

"Alright, then everything is in order," Mitsuki said. "Let's go."

They followed Kiba carefully, further into the shadows.

"Anari has not shown up yet," Lee observed.

"Can you see him?" Naruto asked Neji.

"He's following us from the branches," Neji nodded. Pei looked at Mitsuki, who didn't notice and kept her focus on Kiba.

"Lady Mitsuki…." Pei said softly. "What did you say to Anari to make him that upset?"

"What do you mean, upset?" Mitsuki still didn't look at him.

"Anari isn't the type to stay alone. He likes being around other people."

~Flashback~

Anari and Pei were, again, at Pei's house, where Anari had seemed to move in.

"Anari…." Pei said as they enjoyed instant ramen. Anari smiled kindly.

"Why don't you ever go to your own house?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Pei. Am I a bother? I'll move out right away." Anari stood up, smiling a little sadly.

"No, no. You aren't a bother. I just wanted to know."

"Well, after my grandmother died, I had no one at home who really cared much about me. Of course, my father loves me, but he's never home. And Rina doesn't really like me being around her, and since Kariko isn't a kunoichi, she's always with Rina. So really, if I go to that house, I'm all alone."

"Oh. Why doesn't Rina like you being around?"

"I think she's intimidated by the fact that I look like my mother. And being my father's second wife, I think that makes her feel like she won't be able to live up to her."

"Kariko likes you, though, doesn't she, though?"

Anari smiled. "She's my sweet little sister, she loves everyone! But she just kind of thinks that there must be something wrong with me since her mother doesn't like me. So she kind of avoids me…." His smile turned sad.

"So you don't go there because they don't want you around?"

"No, because before my grandmother died, I was fine to be there. It's because now I'm always alone."

"You don't like being alone, do you?"

"Of course not, who does?" Anari smiled a little bit. Pei just watched him eat for a moment before continuing to eat, himself.

~End Flashback~

"Anari hates being alone, Lady Mitsuki…. It's not just something he doesn't like. I think he's actually afraid of it."

"Pei, Anari isn't a little kid. He's a shinobi. Something like that is childish."

"So is dwelling on something that isn't your fault…." Pei muttered, not looking at her. Mitsuki looked at him, shocked that he would say something like that to her. Then she returned her attention to Kiba and they continued forward.

"Neji," Lee said in a hushed, concerned voice. "I am suspicious that something may be driving the Mitsukigakure ninja apart."

"I know, Lee. But there are some things that are better unknown. For now, we should leave the situation as is. If it happens to be hindering to the mission, we will then intervene."

Lee nodded in understanding.

"Lady Mitsuki," Neji said, after they had continued walking for quite some time. "We are coming up on a very large building. I believe that it is the center of the Land of Shadows, and I am sure that the Lord Machi is inside. Perhaps he can help us in our mission."

"No way…." Kiba said. "The jutsu is inside."

"Inside?" Mitsuki said. "That means that…. Lord Machi is the one after the jutsu…."

"Well, come on! Let's kick some shadow butt!" Naruto whined.

"Neji, how much daylight do we have left?"

"The day is only half gone." Neji answered. Mitsuki nodded.

"Well, if a trap was set that far away from Lord Machi, I'm sure there are a lot of traps inside. Or at least minions."

"We need everyone to be on their guard!" Cho said.

"We need everyone…." Pei muttered, adjusting his glasses. Mitsuki glanced at him, but didn't do anything in response. Mitsuki paced, thinking.

"He's right above us," Neji told Pei. Pei nodded and jumped up into the branches, next to Anari, who smiled at his friend.

"We need you, Anari. We can't do this without you."

"Maybe we can't do this period." Anari sighed, but he didn't stop smiling.

"What did Lady Mitsuki say to you?"

"Just the truth. I'm an optimist. Optimism isn't reality."

Pei sighed. "Anari, when has you believing that everything would turn out fine ever caused us to fail a mission?"

"Never…."

"Exactly. You may not be a realist, but even if you don't realize it, your positive attitude is just what makes us succeed. Come on, we need you more than anyone. Even realistically, you are our medic-nin. If someone gets hurt, you are the only one who can help."

Anari smiled gratefully and jumped back down to the ground with Pei.

"Great, now everyone is here," Mitsuki said, avoiding Pei's and Anari's eyes. Anari simply smiled.

"Come on!" Naruto whined.

"Let me go first," Neji sighed.

"Fine…." Naruto followed Neji closer to the building. Neji peered seriously at the wall before them.

"Hm, it seems like we need to go through from below."

"Below?" Kiba asked.

"Yes. The building is specially made to keep out any and all light. Probably because Lord Machi is the ultimate shadow shinobi. So if there is nothing but shadows, he has the ultimate advantage."

Cho wrapped her arms around Kiba's neck from behind, smirking.

"What's wrong? Afraid of a little dirt?"

"No way!" Kiba smirked. "Come on, Akamaru!" Kiba and Akamaru started digging. Cho smiled proudly.

"You know," Naruto said, "I always thought Kiba would go for a chick with a dog…."

Cho glared. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Leave Cho alone, you overgrown kindergartener!" Kiba growled. "I can go for whatever kinda chick I want!"

"Aw," Cho smiled, turning to Anari and Pei. "Isn't he adorable?"

Anari smiled, amused. Then he glanced up at the top of the wall.

"Kiba…."

"I'm digging here!"

"Kiba, I'm serious, you better move."

"What is it, Anari?" Neji, Cho, and Naruto asked.

"I just don't feel right about him digging there like that…." Anari smiled sincerely.

"Oh, come on!" Naruto sighed. "First you're all happy all the time, and now you're a skeptic? Make up your mind."

"Look out!" Anari jumped onto the wall above Kiba and a katana went through his chest.

"ANARI!" Pei leapt up to the top of the wall, grabbing the black-clad kunoichi that crouched there. Pei glared, grabbing her by the neck, throwing her down to the ground, drop kicking her. Then he was able to make it back to the wall, where Kiba had stopped digging because of the current events, and caught Anari as he well off the side of the wall.

"How did you not see that?" Lee asked Neji. Neji just stared.

"Wow…." Kiba said. "Thanks, Anari…."

Anari smiled weakly. Blood trickled out of his wounds.

"I'll be fine…." Anari smiled.

"What are you talking about?" Cho said. "How can you be fine? There is a katana sticking through your body!"

Pei glared at her. Mitsuki stared in shock.

"Anari!" She knelt down next to Pei. "I'm so sorry, Anari…. I never meant those things I said."

"I know, and it's fine." Anari smiled. "Could someone get this out of me…?"

"I'll do it!" Kiba said hurriedly. "I mean, you pulled a shuriken out of me, the least I can do is pull a katana out of you."

"Wait," Pei held a hand out to Kiba to stop him. "If you pull it out, what if he bleeds out?"

"Pei." Anari smiled gently. "I will be fine. It kind of hurts…. Please, just let him take it out."

Pei nodded. Kiba nervously grabbed the hilt of the katana and slowly pulled it out. It was covered in blood. Anari grimaced, but then smiled.

"Thank you…."

Kiba nodded.

"I don't see anyone else…." Neji said. "It should be safe to continue digging…."

"Continue digging…." Pei stared at him. "What are you talking about? We can't keep going on the mission. Anari is…."

"Fine, Pei…." Anari smiled. "I am fine. I promise I'm okay. Keep going with the mission. Just bring me with you…. Do you think you can carry me?"

Pei nodded.

"How are you going to be okay?" Naruto asked as Kiba and Akamaru kept digging. Anari just smiled, then coughed up blood. Pei opened up Anari's shirt to see the rough wound.

"Do you have any bandages in your pack?" Naruto asked. Anari weakly shook his head.

"Hey, Lee!" Naruto turned to the tall, green-clad shinobi. "Can you give us your hand bandages to wrap up Anari?"

"Of course." Lee took the bandages off his hands and Naruto and Pei used them to wrap up Anari's middle.

"Thanks…." Anari smiled gratefully.

"Anari…." Mitsuki sighed. "I'm really sorry…."

"Stop worrying about me. I will be fine. Just worry about the jutsu…."

"Hey, Anari…." Naruto said. "Why can't you just heal yourself?"

"This is a flesh wound, Naruto. To heal a flesh wound like this takes a lot of energy. And having this severe of a wound drains a lot of energy. I'm too weak to do anything right now. But like I said, I'll be perfectly fine."

Pei carefully and gently put Anari on his back. Kiba poked his head out of the hole.

"We're in."

"Great." Mitsuki said. Neji led them into the hole. The tunnel Kiba and Akamaru dug went down, then under the wall, then into the building. Pei carried Anari the whole way.

"No one seems to be in the immediate area," Neji said, leading them cautiously down the hallway. As they had suspected, it was extremely dark.

"I can smell the jutsu…." Kiba said.

"Right, well, let's just go slowly and carefully. We don't want any other….accidents…." Neji led the way. "Wait, someone's coming."

"I'll take care of this." Cho made her way to the front of the group. A shinobi came around the corner and Cho punched him in the face. She round house kicked him then drop kicked, knocking him unconscious.

"Wow…." Kiba smirked.

"I know." Cho said, resting her elbow on his shoulder.

"Good work, Cho," Mitsuki said. "Now let's keep moving." Neji led them around that corner and down that next hall.

"It actually seems too empty…." Neji commented. "Almost like…. Lord Machi is expecting us…."

"Why would he be expecting us?" Naruto asked.

"Well, he is the leader of the Land of Shadows, who can turn himself into a shadow…. For all we know, he could have been following us."

"That's a little creepy…."

They rounded another corner to be met with a huge set of doors.

"The jutsu is in there!" Kiba said, pointing to the door.

"So is Lord Machi." Neji added.

"We can't go in there unless Anari is okay." Mitsuki said.

"I'm fine…." Anari said. "But just leave me by the door. I'll be in soon."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto said. Anari smiled.

"Trust me."

"Are you sure?" Pei asked as he set Anari down by the door. Anari just smiled.

"Alright," Mitsuki said. "Let's go get that jutsu."


	8. Chapter 8: Anari's Hidden Past

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 8: Anari's Hidden Past

~Flashback~

Young Anari was sitting on his grandmother's lap.

"Do you want me to show you this secret jutsu?" His grandmother asked. Anari nodded. His grandmother smiled.

"You are very special, Anari. If anything ever happened to Lady Mitsuki, you would become the new heir."

"I will?"

"Yes, you will. So, for that very reason, I will show you this jutsu."

"Okay." Anari smiled. His grandmother closed her eyes and started muttering something, doing an extremely long string of hand signs. Anari smiled, watching. His grandmother's hands started glowing bright yellow. A thin, yellowish string of chakra went from Anari's grandmother's heart into Anari's. Anari watched, his smile slight.

Finally, Anari's grandmother stopped the long series of hand signs. She patted Anari on the head.

"There we go. That jutsu is very special, Anari. And now, you are even more special than you already were."

"What do you mean? What does the jutsu do?" Anari smiled.

~End Flashback~

Anari closed his eyes, smiling slightly. The others were already through the doors. They were facing the large, dark Lord Machi.

"So you finally made it," he laughed.

"Give us back our jutsu!" Mitsuki demanded.

"Ha! You plan on just telling me to give it up, and I will?"

"Do you know what this jutsu does?"

"Of course I do! Why else would I take it from your pitiful village?"

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, glaring. "You don't want us to be held here until night! You don't want to see her jinmenjuushin!"

"Haha!" Lord Machi laughed. "I know about the jinmenjuushin! I know everything about that ridiculous little Village Hidden in the Full Moon!"

Anari coughed, blood trickling out of his mouth.

~Flashback~

"This jutsu allows you to do what no other shinobi or kunoichi can do."

Anari smiled in anticipation.

"Whenever you are in danger of losing your life, let yourself die."

"Let myself die?"

"I know it doesn't seem like following your instincts, but do not fight death. Allow yourself to die, or the jutsu will not be able to work."

~End Flashback~

Anari's breathing slowed and blood dripped out of his mouth, down his chin.

"Fine!" Cho said. "If you won't give it to us, we'll have to take it from you!"

"Just you try, little girl!" Lord Machi assumed an offensive position. Cho did the same.

"Wait, Cho!" Neji said. "You can't take him alone!" Neji, Naruto, Kiba, and Lee all got into defensive positions.

Lord Machi smirked, and then disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Naruto asked, looking around. Neji, his Byakugan activated, looked around carefully.

"I'm not sure…."

Suddenly, Lee was knocked to the floor, as if he had been standing on a rug and it was yanked out from beneath him.

"Lee!" Neji said, but Lee had disappeared, too.

"What's going on here?" Mitsuki asked.

"I'm not sure," Neji said. "I can't see either of them. It's like they did really just disappear…."

"No way!" Naruto said angrily. "That's not possible! Come out and fight, you coward!"

"Fine," Lord Machi appeared right in front of Naruto, punching him in the stomach, laughing. Cho sent a punch at him, but he simply hit her fist away, his fist heading for her face. Kiba jumped onto Lord Machi's back, causing him to miss and growl angrily.

"Yeah!" Cho cheered. Akamaru charged for Lord Machi, but he disappeared with Kiba, smirking.

"Kiba?" Cho looked around nervously as Akamaru whimpered.

Anari's breathing had practically stopped. The blood coming out of him had created a puddle that stained his clothes.

~Flashback~

"Oh, I know!" Anari smiled excitedly. "When I die, the jutsu will make my body explode, right?"

His grandmother smiled.

"No, wait! My body will turn into toxic fumes! Or poison! Or it will release kunai, shuriken, and senbon like a weapon piñata!"

His grandmother chuckled. "You are such a smart little thing." She tousled his hair and he smiled.

~End Flashback~

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, a quiver in his voice. "Bring our friends back!"

"And what if I don't? What are you going to do about it?" Lord Machi's amused reply echoed through the room, making it impossible to place his location.

"Where are you taking them?" Cho asked, glaring around the room.

"Somewhere you will soon follow!"

And Cho suddenly disappeared.

"Cho!" Mitsuki cried, looking around frantically. "How are we supposed to fight an enemy when not even Neji can see them…? We have failed…."

"Don't give up, Lady Mitsuki!" Naruto shouted. "He hasn't been able to get us yet! And we still have a chance to get the others and that jutsu back!"

"Such optimism…." Lord Machi chuckled. "Too bad that won't be enough to save you!"

"Naruto!" Neji called. "Don't stop moving!"

"What?" Naruto gave him a confused look.

"I think I've figured something out. I can't see him because he becomes a shadow. But if we stop moving, it is easier for him to grab us. So if we stay in motion, it is harder for him, because I think he moves slower as a shadow."

"Great job, Neji!" Mitsuki said. Pei, Naruto, Neji, Akamaru, and Mitsuki all just circled each other, still looking around. Suddenly, Akamaru disappeared.

"Don't stay in a set pattern!" Mitsuki said, quickly moving from the circle. The shinobi nodded and moved around randomly, keeping their guards up.

'I know Cho,' Mitsuki thought, 'And I know that there is no way she will let him keep her from fighting. Cho can't stand letting someone else fight for her. And with Kiba, Akamaru, and Lee with her, they'll figure a way to come back.'

"Very clever…." Lord Machi's voice resounded around the few remaining ninja. Pei's face was set in a serious, thoughtful expression. Suddenly, he threw something up into the air and whipped a kunai at it. Several kunai rained down around them.

"Hey!" Naruto said, barely avoiding one. "What are you trying to do, kill someone?"

"Naruto, he was probably hoping to hit Lord Machi!" Neji scolded. Pei didn't say anything.

"Well, if he was," Lord Machi answered. "You missed me." And he laughed. Again, Pei said nothing. He simply continued to move in a random way around the room. He made his way over to the door and stepped out of the room, crouching down by Anari.

"I know you hate being alone…." He said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair off of Anari's face. "So I don't want you to be alone during this…."

Anari's lips quivered slightly into a smile. His eyes were still closed and his breathing was practically nonexistent. The puddle of blood that he was sitting in had expanded a little.

~Flashback~

Young Anari, dressed all in black, like everyone around him, stood with his father and stepmother facing a gravestone.

"This is his fault…." His father muttered angrily. Anari just kept a small, sad smile on his face.

"How…?" Rina, Anari's stepmother asked.

"Because he is my oldest child…."

"I'm sorry…." Anari said quietly, turning to his father, who sighed, shaking his head. "What did I do?"

His father simply turned and walked away, Rina close behind, glancing back at Anari. Anari turned back to his grandmother's grave.

"I didn't know that would happen, grandmother…." Anari kept his small sad little smile, even though his voice was shaking. "Please, I don't want father to hate me…. I know you told me that he didn't, and that he was just confused…. I hope you're right, grandmother…. I was really hoping that you would be there when I graduated the academy and when I healed Lady Mitsuki. But I guess everything happens." Anari put a little silver flower on his grandmother's grave and smiled in acceptance of her passing and turned to see Mitsuki standing there.

"Hi," Mitsuki smiled. Anari smiled.

"Did you know my grandmother, Lady Mitsuki?"

"Yes, I did. She was a very nice person. And I'm sure you'll be able to carry on her legacy. The last time I saw her, she was talking about her grandson. I didn't know she had a granddaughter, too."

"She doesn't, well, not yet, at least…."

"Oh…. Well, she did always say her little Anari was a very beautiful little boy. And you sure are, Anari."

"Thank you, Lady Mitsuki! You're really pretty!"

"Aw, you're sweet. Now, you better run along."

"Yes, Lady Mitsuki!" Anari smiled and bowed, then ran off, back to his house.

~End Flashback~

Mitsuki glanced at the door to see if Pei had returned. He hadn't, so she kept moving, careful to avoid the kunai that had stuck in the floor. Naruto looked around, still in a defensive position, as he moved.

"Hey," Naruto said, looking around frantically. "Hey! What happened to the jutsu? How are we going to get it back if we don't know where Lord Machi is? He probably has it with him!"

And, since Naruto had stopped moving to frantically say this, he disappeared, and Lord Machi laughed maniacally.

"Naruto!" Mitsuki growled. "Pei, where are you?"

Pei walked in, his head down, his fists clenched tight.

"Pei…." Mitsuki said sadly, resulting in her disappearance.

"Pei?" Neji didn't stop moving, as the others had. Pei didn't say anything. He went to the center of the room and did a few hand signs, and a column of light surrounded him, blocking out all shadows within a meter of him. Neji kept moving, but stared, a bit annoyed that Pei had not done this sooner.

Pei did some more hand signs and the kunai in the floor all set off small beams of light, up to the ceiling of the vast room, and then a thin beam of light connected them all, making a web of light. Neji, caught in one of the beams, stopped moving.

"With now limited shadows," Neji said. "We will better be able to track him! Great job, Pei! But why didn't you do this before?"

Pei said nothing. He stayed in his light column and did another series of hand signs, causing the floor to come up around the kunai furthest from him and form a dome over Neji and Pei, enclosing a large chunk of the room.

"What is this?" Lord Machi's voice said. "What have you done?"

Pei said nothing. He looked around. Neji closed his eyes, concentrating. He put his hand through a light beam, and it was cut off.

"Hm…." Neji did Rotation, and Lee appeared in the beam of light closest to Neji, being thrown into the wall because the rotation had hit him. Lee stood up.

"Lee!" Neji pulled him into the light. "What happened?"

"Lord Machi had transformed me into a shadow. Since it was dark, I was able to move freely wherever I wanted. I was unable, however to transform back into myself. I was on the floor when you did that Rotation, and it hit me into that light. It seems that when I went into the light, I returned to my true form!"

"That's it!" Neji said. "While you are in the form of a shadow, you are simply unable to go into the light. But if you are forced into the light, you will become normal again."

"How do we locate the others? Your Byakugan cannot see them because they have become shadows?"

"Unfortunately, I think we might have to wait for something extremely dangerous to happen…."

"If you are referring to nightfall, and Lady Mitsuki being possessed by her jinmenjuushin, I think that I have a better solution."

"Hm?"

"Can we not simply put a light at the top of this dome to illuminate the entire thing?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think any of us have a light like that available. And besides, as long as we are here, we will cast shadows, anyway."

"Yes, I see."

"But we can trick the light." Neji removed his headband and put it into one of the beams of light, angling it toward the wall of the dome. Akamaru fell to the floor.

"Akamaru! Perfect!" Neji smirked. "Akamaru, you know Kiba's scent! Sniff him out, and we'll shine light there!"

Akamaru barked and sniffed around, but then stopped moving. He growled.

"Ha!" Lord Machi laughed. "I've shadow bound your dog! Now, even if you do shine light on him, He won't be able to move!"

Neji glared. Then he smirked again. "There are two ways to get away from a shadow…."

"Two?" Lee asked.

"Yes. I said that even if there is light, we cast a shadow. But what is a shadow?"

"Darkness caused by the blocking of light."

"Correct. But what three things do you need to make a shadow?"

"Light, an obstruction…. And I don't know what you mean by three, Neji."

"A surface for the shadow to appear on! If we can stay off of the surface our shadows are on, there is no shadow connecting us and Lord Machi."

"But how are we going to become suspended in mid air?"

"I don't know…."

Anari's limp body sat in the pool of blood, unmoving and void of life. The whole building seemed to resonate with a sickening, almost deafening silence. The blood still leaking from Anari's lifeless body seemed to be the only movement in the entire Land of Shadows.

"Maybe Shikamaru would have been a good choice for this mission…." Neji finally said, sighing.

"You better not be giving up…." Pei muttered. "Anari sacrificed himself for the sake of this mission…. You had better not give up. We are getting this jutsu back whether you like it or not."

Neji and Lee stared at him for a moment. Neji closed his eyes and nodded.

"Pei's right. If we give up now, Anari's death will have been in vain. We can't let that happen. Lord Machi is around her somewhere. So let's start looking."

Neji put his headband back on and pulled out a kunai, sticking it into a light beam. The faceted surface of the kunai sent light in four directions. Lee did the same at a different light beam. They turned the kunai so the reflections would move to other places in the dome.

"It seems you have figured out some ways around my jutsu…." Lord Machi growled. "But I wonder how good you'll do against this one."


	9. Chapter 9: Fighting the Shadow

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 9: Fighting the Shadows

(Bear with me as I recap for dramatic effect. Yes, I can do that. I am the author. If you were the author, and you knew what was coming, I'm sure you would stall for dramatic effect.)

We find our heroes, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, Akamaru, and Pei trying to figure out a way to release their comrades from Lord Machi's shadow prison jutsu, which transforms his victims into shadows.

Lord Machi had manipulated a young protective kunoichi from the small and secret little known Mitsukigakure into stealing the very jutsu she was bred to protect. After the kunoichi, Taibi, had broken into the labyrinth she guards the entrance into, she took the jutsu to a squad of shinobi, who killed her and took the jutsu, handing it off to another group, who killed them, and so forth, until the jutsu was handed to Lord Machi, the leader of the dark Land of Shadows.

Mitsuki, the heir of Mitsukigakure, cursed with a kekkei genkai that causes her mind to be overtaken by her jinmenjuushin, a horrible beast inside of her, every night, brought her squad of three gifted chuunin specially selected to protect her, came to Konohagakure to help them retrieve their sacred and highly secret jutsu.

The jutsu is what keeps all of the people of Mitsukigakure safe from being taken over by their own jinmenjuushin, which resides in all people of Mitsukigakure. The jutsu makes it so that only Mitsuki, the heir, is cursed by the jinmenjuushin. As long as Mitsuki fulfills her destiny of bearing one and only one child before she dies, the village will remain safe.

Mitsuki's chuunin consist of Cho, a skilled taijustu artist who combines her physical fighting with genjutsu to confuse and surprise her opponents, Pei, a defensive fighter who mostly creates shields and armor type jutsu, and Anari, a gifted medic-nin who was wounded trying to protect Kiba.

The squad that Tsunade formed to help Mitsuki and her squad was made up of Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, Naruto Uzumaki, and Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru.

After Kiba, Akamaru, and Neji tracked the course of the shinobi carrying the jutsu, they ended up in the Land of Shadows, at Lord Machi's mansion. As Kiba and Akamaru were tunneling into the mansion, there was an unexplainable and unforeseen accident, in which the sweet, optimistic Anari jumped between Kiba and a katana, resulting in a fatal wound.

The two squads pressed on, eventually reaching Lord Machi and their present predicament, in which Mitsuki, Cho, Naruto, and Kiba, are currently trapped as shadows, while Akamaru is paralyzed by a shadow, and Lee, Neji, and Pei attempt to free their comrades after discovering that Anari did not survive the wound he had received.

Lord Machi laughed his dark and vicious laugh. Neji looked around frantically, grabbing Lee's arm and leaping into the beam of light surrounding Pei. The remained suspended in the air in the beam of light above Pei. There were pained yells echoing through the dome as Neji reached out and pulled Mitsuki, who had appeared, into the beam of light. Her left arm was burned badly. Kiba appeared near Akamaru, whimpering, as was his dog. Cho fell from the dome near them, and Naruto fell from somewhere on the top of the dome. There was fire randomly throughout the dome.

Lord Machi appeared, laughing. The shadows burned out, and there were none left, even though there was light in some places, no shadows were in the dome.

"He burned the shadows…." Mitsuki said, also suspended with Neji and Lee. She glanced down at Pei, sighing sadly. "He's gone, isn't he?" Mitsuki asked Neji. Neji turned to her.

"I'm sorry, Lady Mitsuki, but yes. Anari didn't make it…."

"They were best friends. I don't think there was anyone that understood Pei the way Anari did. Pei doesn't open up to anyone. But he did to Anari. I watched them grow into brothers over the years that we've been together. This is probably the hardest thing Pei's ever had to deal with…."

"What do you plan on doing now?" Lord Machi laughed. Mitsuki glared at him.

"Give us back our jutsu!"

"Ha! I seem to have the upper hand right now. I wouldn't be making demands if I were you, Lady Mitsuki."

"Wait a minute," Neji said. "He doesn't want to kill anyone."

"What?" Mitsuki and Lee gave him confused looks.

"I don't think he wants to kill anyone. He clearly has no good motives, but I think he is above taking people's lives. He would have killed you while you were in the shadows, while he had the chance. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of you all. But instead, he didn't."

"Hm."

Neji jumped down from the beam in front of Lord Machi, glaring and quickly hitting him with 64 palms, slamming him into the wall. Lord Machi glared, and Neji released his Byakugan to store up more chakra and held a kunai to the now immobile shinobi's neck.

"Now I have the upper hand. Now tell me where the jutsu is."

Mitsuki and Lee jumped down, and Pei released the jutsu. Mitsuki put her right hand on Pei's shoulder, but he just shrugged it off and turned away. Mitsuki then went to Cho and helped her onto her feet. Her legs were badly burned, and she had a broken leg and a broken arm. Lee went to Naruto, who had two broken arms. And Kiba, who was with Cho, had bad burns on his legs, back, and hands. Akamaru's paws were badly burned, too.

Naruto glared at Lord Machi and kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

"NARUTO!" Neji yelled, glaring at him. "Why the hell would you do that?"

"Now Anari can heal him and do that truth jutsu!"

"Anari died, you idiot!"

Naruto just stared.

"Kiba, Akamaru, are you able to sniff out the jutsu?" Neji sighed, turning to them.

"Well, it's pretty painful to move…. If Anari was here, he could heal us…."

"Poor Anari…." Cho muttered. "Here, I'll help you, Kiba. Ow…" Cho collapsed after trying to stand on her broken leg.

"I'm only hurt on my left arm," Mitsuki said. "If Lee helps me, we can carry Akamaru, who's only hurt on his paws. Will that work?"

Kiba looked to his dog, who whimpered, but nodded. Kiba turned back to Mitsuki and Lee.

"Yeah. But be careful with him. And don't drop him!"

"Of course we will take care to be gentle with Akamaru!" Lee saluted, then helped Mitsuki pick him up. He sniffed the air, then turned his head to the left, barking. As Lee and Mitsuki carried him in the indicated direction, he continued to sniff and bark, leading them to the edge of the dome.

"Pei," Mitsuki turned slightly to where Pei had secluded himself. He did a few hand signs, and the dome crumbled to the floor, causing everyone except Pei to gasp. Pei was turned away from everyone, so he did not see what they did when the dome crumbled.

Now, what you are about to find out may come as a huge shock to you. Also, it may not. But I must warn you that as this saga continues, you know not what lies ahead, and therefore, do not be quick to judge what is about to be revealed by the crumbling of the dome.

There, on the other side of the rubble, stood Anari, smiling happily, covered in his own blood, holding Lee's hand bandages, with his exposed torso free of any wound. Everyone just stared for a moment.

"I thought you said he died." Naruto glared at Neji, who was staring, shocked.

"I did die!" Anari smiled cheerfully, his voice drawing Pei's attention. Pei stared at him, totally shocked.

~Flashback~

"When you die, Anari," Anari's grandmother told him. "And you let yourself die, your body will be perfectly fine. This jutsu is called the Second Life Jutsu. When you accept death when it comes to you the first time, you will come back alive."

"How?"

"That jutsu gives you a second life."

~End Flashback~

Pei turned away again as Anari first healed Akamaru's paws. Akamaru barked in gratitude and slid his tongue over Anari's smiling face. Then Anari healed Mitsuki's arm, and then Kiba, so that he and Akamaru could sniff out the jutsu. After healing Cho and Naruto, Anari put a hand on Pei's shoulder, but he shrugged it off. Anari smiled sadly.

"I understand that you are upset, Pei…. And I'm sorry. But I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the jutsu because then people wouldn't be worried about me dying. Just because I have a life on reserve doesn't mean I should expect or want to use it. Because that life is my grandmother's. In order to do the jutsu, she had to give me her life. I wasn't very proud of being the reason she died, so I never wanted to talk about it."

"So you're going to have to do this jutsu to your kid so they can help protect Lady Mitsuki's kid?"

"No, because I'm going to heal Lady Mitsuki!" Anari smiled happily. Pei turned to him seriously.

"I'm glad you're back."

Anari just smiled, hugging him.

"Anari," Mitsuki called him over to Lord Machi. Pei followed.

"Could you perform the truth jutsu on Lord Machi? I think that he must have hidden the jutsu as a shadow. "

Anari nodded and did a couple hand signs and put his glowing green hand on Lord Machi's forehead.

Lord Machi's eyes flickered open.

"Where is the jutsu?" Mitsuki asked.

Lord Machi glared. "In a secret chamber on the north wall of this room…."

"Why did you want it?"

"So that I could obtain the power of the five great Kage's and all the ninja in their villages without having to kill anyone…."

"But then why did you have the chain of ninja bring you the jutsu killed?"

"I wasn't the one killing them. And I didn't want it to be traced. I didn't think they'd track the jutsu's scent…."

"Well, you thought wrong. And I'm sorry, but you will have to be killed for taking our jutsu." Mitsuki pulled out a kunai.

"Wait!" Anari said. "You can't just kill someone who's helpless…."

"Anari, this is our village's safety we're talking about. We can't risk it."

Anari didn't say anything. He simply watched Mitsuki shove her kunai into his chest. Anari winced.

"Found it!" Kiba announced. Everyone rushed to the small door in the wall that Kiba and Akamaru had sniffed out. It wasn't really much of a door. It was more like a loose brick. Mitsuki removed it and pulled out the jutsu scroll, checking the outside, just to make sure it was intact. Kiba and Akamaru sniffed it in affirmation.

"So I guess this means our mission has come to a close," Kiba said, glancing at Cho as he stroked Akamaru's head. Cho looked away from them, thinking seriously.

"Great!" Naruto said. "Now let's get back home and get some rest."

"Right." Mitsuki strapped the jutsu to her back and they left the room. They came across a guard in the hall way.

"What are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously. Lee Leaf Whirlwinded him, and as he was falling to the floor, Cho spin kicked him into the wall, and he was knocked out.

"Great work." Mitsuki said. And they continued on.

The rest of the trip back to Konohagakure went very smoothly. They simply stopped at night to keep Mitsuki from harming herself or anyone else.

Once they arrived in Konohagakure, Mitsuki sent a messenger dog back to Mitsukigakure to let them know that the jutsu had been secured, and that they were going to rest in Konohagakure for a few days before starting their return trip. Since the village is only able to be entered during the full moon, they would have to wait anyway, before they could return to their village.

"So…." Kiba said to Cho as they walked down the road with Akamaru between them. It was dusk, so Pei, Anari, and Mitsuki were already at their apartment.

"So…." Cho replied, not looking at Kiba.

"Have you given any thought to my offer of staying here with me?"

"I don't know…. I dedicated my life to protecting Lady Mitsuki…. And after what happened with Anari the other day…. I don't know if my squad can handle it."

"What about Akamaru and me? What if we can't handle you not staying?" Akamaru whimpered and nodded at Cho, who blushed slightly, still keeping her face turned away.

"I like you a lot Kiba…. And of course, you, too, Akamaru…. But I can't just leave my village. And Lady Mitsuki is pregnant, so it's more important now than ever to keep her safe…."

"Pei and Anari are well qualified to protect her. And so is Lady Mitsuki herself. And what about the baby's father? I'm sure he's a shinobi! And I'm sure he'll want to keep his kid safe."

"We're going to be here for a few days…. I'll think about it…."

Kiba sighed. "Yeah…." He patted Akamaru's head.

"I really care about you a lot, Cho…. I don't want you to leave…. Neither does Akamaru…."

"I care about you, too. But I also care about my village. I said I'll think about it. And I promise I will. But this is a very big decision for me. What if I asked you to leave your home and the people you care about to be with me?"

Kiba didn't say anything for a moment. Then he nodded. "Yeah, I see your point. Please…. I don't want you to feel pressured…. But I don't want to never see you again."

"We could always visit each other…."

"But you can only enter and leave your village during a full moon. I don't think I could handle being away from you for that long of a time, Cho."

Cho didn't say anything. She glanced up at the sky.

"I should probably get back, now…. I'll see you tomorrow…." Cho kissed him on the cheek and hugged Akamaru and then ran off. Kiba watched, then pet Akamaru.

"I hope we can work something out…." Akamaru whimpered and nodded.

The next day, a kunoichi dressed in black with black hair and eyes appeared in Konohagakure. She looked very angry. The first person she encountered was Sakura, as she was getting the morning report from the front gate.

"I need to speak with your leader," the kunoichi told Sakura.

"Um, sure. I'm Sakura Haruno, I am Lady Tsunade's student. Follow me." Sakura led the mysterious kunoichi to Tsunade.

"My name is Machiko. Some ninja from your village were involved with my father's death. And I want justice."

"Who is your father?" Tsunade asked.

"Lord Machi of the Land of Shadows."

"Oh. So that would be the shinobi that went with the Mitsukigakure ninja to retrieve their secret jutsu…." Tsunade considered. "What kind of justice did you have in mind, Machiko?"

"I want to know why my father died and I want his killer to be imprisoned to rot in the most horrible of dungeons."

"It was reported to me that Lord Machi had stolen the sacred jutsu of Mitsukigakure, and that anyone stealing this highly dangerous jutsu must be killed to prevent the fatal and horrid effects of this jutsu."

"But he was my father!"

"I understand that. I will summon the ninja that were on that mission." Tsunade motioned for Shizune to do so. Shizune went out and hurriedly recruited Sakura to help her find all eight ninja and Akamaru. After rounding them up, Shizune and Sakura took them to Tsunade and Machiko, who were waiting nervously.

"You killed my father!" Machiko cried, pointing accusingly at the group. She started crying and Sakura put an arm around her to comfort her.

"Hey!" Naruto said. "We don't even you or your father!"

"Yes you do! My father is Lord Machi!"

"I am very sorry for your loss," Mitsuki said.

"No you aren't!" Machiko cut her off before Mitsuki could continue. "If you were, you wouldn't have let anyone kill him!"

Anari stepped forward, smiling gently. "I understand how it feels to lose a parent. My mother died when I was a baby."

"But see! You never got a chance to know her, so you don't know!"

"I do." Neji said seriously. "My father was killed when I was a child. I was well aware of the situation, so I do understand."

"Then you understand that I want justice for my father's unnecessary murder!"

"Your father was killed because he stole a very dangerous, secret, sacred jutsu!" Mitsuki said.

"If obviously wasn't so secret and sacred if someone was able to steal it!"

"And he ordered the death of one of our kunoichi!"

"But he wasn't the one who killed her! Which one of you killed my father?"

"It was me." Cho stepped forward.

"Cho!" Mitsuki turned to her. Cho gave her a serious look.

"Cho…." Kiba whimpered. Akamaru did, too.

"Then you shall pay for your crimes against my father and against me." Machiko glared.


	10. Chapter 10:  Machiko's Revenge

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 10: Machiko's Revenge

Cho, Mitsuki, and Neji stood alone before Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, please!" Mitsuki said. "Cho didn't kill Lord Machi. It was me."

"Lady Mitsuki is telling the truth, Lady Tsunade," Neji nodded. Cho glared at him.

"Stop lying, both of you! I'm not a helpless little girl! It was my kunai that pierced his heart! I am the one who killed Lord Machi, and I will suffer the punishment that Machiko has in mind." Cho said seriously.

"Very well, Cho, tomorrow, we will meet in the Chuunin exam stadium at noon so that you can be sentenced. I usually don't take these matters into my own hands, seeing as you are not even from my village, but Machiko demands immediate action, and our treaty with Mitsukigakure states that I am able to decide in such situations, especially since your village can only be entered during the full moon."

"But, Lady Tsunade!" Mitsuki argued.

"I'm sorry, Lady Mitsuki, but that is the end of the discussion."

Mitsuki sighed. Neji didn't react. Cho led them out. Once they were out of the Hokage mansion, Mitsuki slammed Cho into the wall.

"What is wrong with you, Cho! Why would you lie like that! You know that I was the one who killed Lord Machi!"

"Lady Mitsuki, it is my duty to protect you. And the coming heir."

"Your duty! That's why you're doing this?"

"Not just my duty. I want to protect you. Think of how important you are to the village. Anari, Pei, and everyone else who is counting on you to keep us safe. They all need you, Lady Mitsuki. Let me do this to protect you. I need you to let me protect you."

Mitsuki stared at her for a moment. Then she sighed.

"Anari and Pei understand why I'm doing this. Why can't you?"

"I just don't want you to have to suffer for my actions."

"This is for the best, I promise."

Mitsuki sighed again, and they headed back toward their apartment.

"Cho!" Kiba and Akamaru ran up to them.

"Go on, Lady Mitsuki." Cho said. Mitsuki nodded and continued on her way.

Cho didn't look at Kiba or Akamaru.

"Why are you taking the rap for this?"

"I have to. It's my duty to protect Lady Mitsuki. You wouldn't really understand."

"You're right. I don't understand. Don't do this. What if she wants your life?"

"I need to do this, Kiba! And if you can't accept that, then maybe I was wrong about you."

"What is that supposed to mean!"

"Oh, look, it's a lover's quarrel…." Ino whispered to Sakura as they hid in an alley, spying on Kiba and Cho.

"Why are we watching this?" Sakura asked. "It's not like either of us are interested in Kiba or anything…. Or are you?"

"No, of course not! I just like to know what's going on."

"Oh, of course…. Hey, look!" Sakura pulled Hinata into the alley with them. Hinata blushed.

"Look, Hinata!" Ino pointed.

"Uh…."

"Oh, come on, Hinata, we all know there's always been a thing with you and Kiba."

Hinata just blushed and watched.

"That's supposed to mean that I thought you were sensitive and understanding! And I thought you cared about me!"

"I do! I care about you more than anyone! That's why I don't want you to do this!"

"If you really cared about me, you would understand that I need to do this. So don't even bother coming to the stadium tomorrow if you aren't going to accept that I have to do this." And Cho stormed away, leaving Kiba glaring after her. Then he growled and turned.

"Come on, Akamaru!" They stormed away, passing by the girls, turning to them, glaring and growling, then continuing.

"I've….I've n-never seen Ki-kiba so…." Hinata blushed.

"Mad?" Sakura asked.

"Furious?" Ino suggested.

"N-no…." Hinata continued. "H-hurt…."

"Oh." Sakura and Ino looked after Kiba and Akamaru.

"Anari!" Kiba ran up to Pei and Anari, who were enjoying ramen with Naruto and Iruka.

"Hi, Kiba!" Anari smiled.

"No time for that! Are you aware that Cho is going to put herself in danger?"

"Of course!" Anari smiled cutely. "I understand why she has to do this! I plan on being right by her side!"

"You support her?"

"Of course! I know it's hard for you to understand, but put yourself in her shoes. She's being really brave, taking this punishment for the savior of our village."

Kiba growled, glaring at him.

"Why are you going to let her do this?"

Anari smiled. Kiba growled, throwing a punch at him. Pei grabbed his fist, glaring darkly at Kiba, pushing him backward, onto the ground.

"Hey, calm down, now, boys," Iruka said seriously. "We don't want a fight."

"Come on, Kiba!" Naruto cheered. "Show him what Konohagakure is made of!"

"Naruto!" Iruka hit him upside the head.

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head.

Pei stood up, glaring down at Kiba. Kiba growled, jumping onto his feet.

"I can't believe that the two of you are going to not only let her do this, but that you are in full support of her!"

"Pei," Anari put a hand on Pei's shoulder, smiling gently. Pei closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, then returning to his ramen.

"Kiba," Anari turned to him, smiling seriously. "You need to understand that this is what Cho wants. If you care about her as much as you seem to, you will go and think seriously about this entire situation."

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because then you will understand."

Kiba stared at Anari's calm smile, then he frowned, leading Akamaru away.

"He's not gonna think about it." Naruto said, downing his ramen.

"I think he will," Iruka said. Anari smiled.

"I have to say," Anari said. "I am very honored to be sharing a meal with you, Iruka."

"Huh?" Iruka and Naruto looked at him curiously.

"Shouldn't you be honored to be having a meal with me?" Naruto asked. "I'm the future Hokage!"

"But that doesn't mean as much to our village as what Iruka has done!" Anari smiled.

Iruka blushed slightly, looking away from them. Naruto looked at him curiously.

"What did you do?"

Iruka didn't say anything. Naruto turned then to Anari and Pei. Pei shrugged as Anari smiled happily.

"Iruka has given us an heir!"

Iruka hid his face in his hands. Naruto just stared blankly. Anari smiled, amused. Pei shook his head slightly.

Later that day, Iruka found Mitsuki in the library.

"Um, Lady Mitsuki…."

"Oh, hi, Iruka!" Mitsuki smiled pleasantly.

"Um…. Hi…." He blushed slightly and looked away from her. "It came to my attention that you told your team…."

"No, I only told Anari. He is my personal medic-nin, so it is his business."

"But he told the others…."

Mitsuki stared at him for a moment. "He wouldn't do that. I'm sure that he had only mentioned it to Pei because the two are very close. He wouldn't tell Cho because if he had, you would know it."

"But he mentioned it in front of Naruto…."

"Hm. Well, I'm sorry. You aren't ashamed, are you? I didn't realize it was such a big deal…." Mitsuki closed the book she was holding and turned away.

"No, it's not that…. I just…. I didn't know that you could know so soon if you were…."

"Anari is the best medic-nin our village has ever seen. He helped the medic-nin of our village develop the technique used to detect pregnancy within the first few days. They developed it specifically for the heir to use."

"Oh…. I would have liked to have known…. After all, I want to be in their life…."

"That's not how it goes. You can't. I'm sorry, I would love for the baby to know his father, but you can't leave your village for me."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a monster, just like our son. Well, at night anyway. But Anari will be his personal medic-nin, too, and Pei will be his bodyguard, so he will always be protected."

"I don't understand…. I don't care about the jinmenjuushin."

"That's sweet, but you see, you can't be in his life because he can't know that he has any other life than protecting the village."

Iruka didn't say anything.

"I wanted to have three children. But my duty is to only have one. My destiny is to only bear one child. And that is what I will do. Your destiny was to give me that one child. You can visit him anytime you wish, so long as he doesn't know that you are his father. I never knew my mother. She was not from my village, I'm sure. But my father did not know his mother, and his father did not know his mother. That is how it is supposed to be."

"How is that fair to anyone?"

"I apologize, but that is how it has been for a long time, and that is how it works best. Again, you are free to visit whenever you wish, but I am set on keeping everything how it is supposed to be."

"Is that the only reason, then? To have an heir?"

"It is my destiny." And with that, Mitsuki put the book back on the shelf and left.

The next day, the Mitsukigakure ninja joined a rather large crowd of Konohagakure ninja in the stadium. Machiko stood in the center, a determined, pained look on her face. Mitsuki and Cho joined Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura in the Hokage's box.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Mitsuki asked. "It's not too late to recall your claim."

"I will suffer the consequence of my actions," Cho nodded. Mitsuki turned away from her sadly.

"Thank you, Cho…." Mitsuki hugged her tightly. "You are like the daughter I will never have. I am proud to have been your teacher."

Cho smiled happily.

"CHO!" Kiba and Akamaru ran up to the Hokage's box. Cho turned to them, her expression serious.

"I am going to do this, Kiba. This is the only way. I must do this."

"I know…." Kiba put his hands on her shoulders. "And I think I understand now. Our village is a lot larger than yours. And we don't have any type of savior like you do. But I know that if anything were to threaten Akamaru, I would do anything I can to protect him. And you care about Lady Mitsuki more than anything else."

"Thank you for understanding," Cho smiled, hugging Kiba. Akamaru nudged him, and Kiba brushed a stray lock of hair out of Cho's face and kissed her gently.

Cho blushed and pulled away from him, smiling. She hugged Akamaru, and he licked her cheek.

"Whatever happens, Cho," Kiba said. "I like you a lot…."

"It's noon!" Machiko yelled up to the Hokage box. "I want the girl who killed my father!"

Cho turned back to Kiba. "I love you." And with that, Cho leapt down into the stadium, facing Machiko.

Anari and Pei were sitting with Neji, Lee, Chouji, TenTen, and Naruto.

"Whoa," Chouji said. "I wonder what she is going to do to her."

"Well, Machiko had mentioned that she wanted her father's killer to rot in a dungeon!" Anari smiled. "At least that way, Cho won't get hurt!"

"But I think she wants something else, now that she thinks she knows who did it," Neji said. "I think that Machiko wants to fight Cho."

"Why would she do that?" Naruto asked. "Machiko thinks that Cho killed her dad, who was the leader of the Land of Shadows. If Cho is supposed to be strong enough to kill Lord Machi, then how would Machiko be able to defeat her?"

Neji activated his Byakugan. "I think that Machiko is a lot stronger than Lord Machi…."

"What do you mean?" Anari asked, smiling.

"She has a lot more chakra."

"Maybe Lord Machi was simply a figure head, while Machiko was the true leader of the Land of Shadows."

"I can't believe Shikamaru is missing this!" Chouji said, ""What a horrible time for a mission to come up!"

"Is that where he is?" TenTen asked.

"Yeah, he went with Hinata, Shino, and Ino. Ino was really upset about missing this. Shikamaru, of course, didn't care much."

"Lee and Gai are on a mission, too, with Kakashi and Yamato."

"I think that Cho will win!" Anari smiled confidently. "Machiko may be stronger than Lord Machi, but I'm sure she won't use the same techniques!"

Kiba and Akamaru joined them. Kiba didn't say anything, he just sat down and watched Cho and Machiko carefully.

"You have committed the worst kind of crime!" Machiko pointed to Cho, glaring. "You have taken the life of my father, leader of the Land of Shadows, Lord Machi. And for that, you shall suffer."

"I will accept any punishment you have in mind for me." Cho said seriously. Machiko smirked.

"Very well. Then I demand that you stand and fight me."

"I'm not going to fight a little girl." Cho smirked. "Why don't you send your strongest fighter? Then it will be fair."

Suddenly, Cho was knocked to the ground. She stared at Machiko's dark smirk.

"I'm stronger than I look."

"Fine, if your punishment is to fight you, then I will fight you." Cho flipped up onto her feet, taking an offensive stance, glaring.

Machiko charged her, throwing a punch, which Cho hit away her fist, but then was thrown into the wall by Machiko's other fist connecting with her stomach. Machiko pinned Cho to the wall and slammed her knee into Cho's stomach. Cho coughed up some blood.

Kiba stood up, about to jump in and rescue Cho, but Anari grabbed his wrist and smiled. Kiba gave him a confused look.

"Don't worry! She'll be fine!"

"This isn't you, Anari! Cho doesn't have a life on reserve!" Kiba growled. Pei stood up and punched Kiba in the gut, causing Akamaru to pounce on him, knocking Pei to the floor.

"Pei!"

Pei did a few hand signs, and wire wrapped around Akamaru, tying him up. Pei jumped up to find Kiba's fist coming toward his face.

Pei ducked under the attack, knocking Kiba's feet out from under him. Kiba quickly stood back up, sending his foot toward Pei's face, but Pei grabbed his foot and pushed him down next to Akamaru.

Pei did a few more hand signs, and the wire around Akamaru also wrapped around Kiba, binding them together.

"Don't you ever disrespect Anari," Pei adjusted his glasses. "Especially not after what he did for you: sacrificing a life to save yours. Show a bit more gratitude to the one who saved your life." Pei sat next to Anari again. Naruto, TenTen, and Chouji stared.

"What was that?" Chouji asked.

"Anari had two lives," Neji explained, "In a long flashback, Anari died to save Kiba, and now he has only his current life left."

"I need to see!" Kiba squirmed, and Akamaru barked. Anari smiled and pulled out a kunai, cutting the wires binding the boy and his dog. Kiba didn't look at Pei, but simply scrambled to look at Cho and Machiko.

Machiko whipped out a kunai, holding it to Cho's throat.


	11. Chapter 11: Loss

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 11: Loss

"Apologize!" Machiko said, glaring. Cho choked up some blood.

"Cho!" Kiba stood up. "I have to help her!"

"Wait, Kiba!" Neji said, grabbing his wrist. "Just watch."

Machiko suddenly let Cho go, backing up, slashing her kunai through the air. Cho was holding a hand sign.

"She's using genjutsu…." TenTen said.

"She is good at that!" Anari smiled.

Cho did another hand sign, and Machiko suddenly stopped slashing at the imaginary butterflies, because, to her, they had disappeared. She glared at Cho, who pulled a small green ball out of her shuriken pouch.

"A smoke bomb?" Machiko smirked.

"No way!" Cho said, tossing the little ball into the air. She ran up the wall, then leapt into the air, catching the ball in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before attempting a drop kick, which Machiko slid backward to avoid.

"So what happens if I live through this?" Cho asked seriously.

"Then you live. But your punishment is fighting me!"

"You have to understand that what I did was to protect the world!"

"I don't really care!" Machiko ran toward her.

"What was that thing?" Kiba asked.

"A health bomb I made for her!" Anari smiled proudly. "It will help restore her chakra and health!"

Machiko slashed toward Cho with her kunai, but Cho flipped over her and jabbed her elbow into Machiko's back. Machiko was knocked to the ground, but quickly leapt back up and slashed toward Cho again, who roundhouse kicked the kunai out of Machiko's hand.

Machiko glared at her and sweep kicked, but Cho flipped over her, attempting another drop kick, and again, Machiko evaded the attack, but sent a punch at Cho, who hit her fist away, sending a punch of her own. Machiko grabbed Cho's fist and threw her against the ground. Cho winced, but stood up.

"Before, it seemed like Machiko was going to win," TenTen remarked.

"Yeah," Chouji added. "But now, I'm not so sure. Cho really made a comeback."

Machiko and Cho blocked each other's punched and kicks, neither of them actually making contact.

Suddenly, Machiko's roundhouse kick connected with Cho's chin, sending her into the air.

~Flashback~

A small, six year old Cho wearing a pink kimono stood in a field, holding a black ball.

"Cho!" A teenage boy ran up to her. He smiled. "What are you doing?"

"What is it like, Kotichi?"

"What is what like?" Kotichi asked, brushing some of his blond hair out of his blue eyes.

"What is it like outside the village?"

"It's big." Kotichi said, looking out over the rock formation that surrounded the village, beyond which was a forest.

"The people don't have a jinmenjuushin inside of them."

The wind blew and Cho sat next to him. "Do you like it outside?"

"Not as much as I like it here."

"How come?"

"Because, out there, people don't care about each other."

"Why?" Cho gave him a confused look.

"Because they don't understand, Cho. Do you know why there are ninja in this world?"

"Yeah! To protect Lady Mitsuki!"

"To protect her from what, Cho?"

"Um, I don't know…."

"To protect her from people who want to hurt her. People who are enemies of our village. The world is a harsh place."

"Is that why you quit?"

"Yes…. I guess I was just too comfortable here in the village. I grew up too sheltered." Kotichi pulled his ninja band out of his pocket and stared at it.

"Hey, look, Bota," a boy said from a passing group of three boys. "It's Kotichi, the little shinobi who couldn't!" The boys laughed. Kotichi looked away from them. Cho glared at the three.

"You're just mean!" She yelled. The boys laughed and continued on their way.

"Don't worry about them, Cho…."

"Huh? But they were so mean to you, Kotichi…."

"Yeah, well, everyone looks down on me now…."

"I don't…. You're my big brother, and I'm always going to be smaller than you…."

Kotichi smiled and rubbed Cho's head.

"Just promise me something, Cho."

"What?"

"That you won't give up…. Ever…. No matter what."

"I won't! I want to be a ninja, just like you, Kotichi!"

"No, no you don't, Cho. Not like me…."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a quitter, Cho. Just, promise you won't quit. I'll be proud of you, I promise." He smiled at her.

Cho and Kotichi were sleeping in a small room. Cho was around eight, now. Sun filtered through the dirty curtains, onto Cho's face. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Kotichi, wake up!" Cho said excitedly.

"Huh?" Kotichi yawned.

"It's morning! Hurry up! You said you'd take me to ninja school today!"

Kotichi sat up and smiled sleepily. "Yes, I will. But you have to eat first."

"Okay!" Cho ran to the little cupboard and pulled out a small bun, shoving it into her mouth.

"Don't eat too fast!" Kotichi laughed. Cho smiled.

Kotichi led Cho out of the small shack in which they lived. He held her hand as they headed toward the ninja academy of Mitsukigakure.

"Heh," The same three boys who had harassed the pair two years earlier, blocked their way.

"Step aside," Kotichi said. "I'm just trying to take her to school."

"Why?" The leader smirked. "So she can quit after a year, too?" And the boys laughed. Kotichi glared at them.

"Come on, Cho," Kotichi made his way around them, pulling Cho with him. Cho looked back at the boys, who smirked.

They got to the academy. Kotichi crouched down to look at Cho. He smiled.

"I'll be right here waiting for you when school gets out." Cho hugged him and went inside.

When the academy let out, all the little shinobi and kunoichi ran out, running, laughing, and heading home. Cho stood there, looking around. Kotichi was nowhere to be found.

"Kotichi…?" Cho looked around. She sat down in front of the school. When everyone was gone, Cho was still there.

"Cho?" Her teacher, a chuunin with brown hair and brown eyes, asked as she came out of the academy. "What are you still doing here?"

"My brother is supposed to come get me…." Cho said, hugging her knees.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be here soon…. But why don't we head back toward your house, and maybe we'll meet him on our way." She smiled. Cho didn't return the smiled, she just shook her head.

"He's going to be here…. Kotichi would never let me down…."

"I can't let you stay here alone, but the Mitsukikage needed to see me…."

"It's okay, I'll stay here and wait for Kotichi…."

"No, I can't let you stay here alone. Come with me to see the Mitsukikage."

"But what if Kotichi comes while I'm gone?" Cho looked up at her desperately.

"Seiyuki!" A man with dark hair and light eyes ran up to the chuunin.

"What is it, Taro?" Seiyuki asked.

"There's a kid, he's hurt pretty bad. He was lying in an alley. Maishi found him when he was throwing some stuff away."

"Do you know who it is?"

"Yeah, he's that kid that dropped out of the ninja program."

Cho gasped. "That's Kotichi!" She screamed. She started crying.

"Taro, this is Cho, Kotichi's sister…."

"Maybe we should take her home…." Taro said, glancing at Cho.

"I need to see Kotichi!" Cho cried.

"I don't think that's a good idea…."

"Where is my brother?"

"We'll take you to him," Seiyuki said, embracing Cho. "Everything will be fine…."

Taro led them to the alley in which Kotichi had been found. He wasn't there. A shinobi was, though.

"They took the boy to the infirmary."

"Where's Kotichi!" Cho cried. Seiyuki picked up Cho, comforting her.

"We'll take you to him…." Seiyuki said. Seiyuki and Taro took her to the infirmary, where a medic-nin directed them to Kotichi's room. Cho squirmed so that Seiyuki would put her down, and ran into the room, where Kotichi was lying in a bed, heavily bandaged.

"Kotichi!" Cho cried.

"Cho…. I'm sorry…. I wasn't there when you got out of school…." Kotichi said weakly.

"Are you gonna be okay…?"

"I don't know, Cho…. But be strong, okay? Even if I don't make it…. I'll always be here for you, little sister…." Kotichi reached over to the bedside table weakly, grabbing his ninja band. "You have to be strong, Cho…. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough…." He folded Cho's little hands around his ninja band.

"I think you should let your brother sleep," Seiyuki said, putting a hand on Cho's shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"Seiyuki…." Kotichi turned to her. "I want you to take care of her, please…."

Seiyuki stared at him. Then she nodded. "We'll love her as if she were our own." Taro nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Cho…. I don't think I'll make it. But I want you to listen to Seiyuki and Taro…. They'll be your parents, now…."

"No, Kotichi, you can't…." Cho cried.

"Don't worry, Cho. I told you, I'll always be here for you…."

"Cho…. Say good night to Kotichi," Seiyuki said gently. Taro picked her up and carried her out of the room, even though she was kicking and screaming for Kotichi, who simply smiled at her.

"I love you, Cho…."

Cho, dressed all in black, stood before Kotichi's grave, tightly holding his ninja band, tears rolling down her face. Seiyuki and Taro stood behind her, also dressed in black.

"I won't let you down, Kotichi…."

~End Flashback~

Cho landed hard on her back, coughing up blood.

~Flashback~

"Mom, Dad!" Cho, a young teenager, ran into a house excitedly. Seiyuki and Taro were in the kitchen.

"What is it, Cho?" Seiyuki asked, smiling.

"I was chosen to be on a special squad!"

"That's great!"

"I know! The Mitsukikage wants to see me tomorrow morning to meet my sensei!"

"Wow, Cho, you really are such a talented kunoichi," Taro smiled. Seiyuki hugged her.

"Kotichi is probably really proud of you," Seiyuki said.

"I know he is…. I went and told him before I came home." Cho smiled.

~End Flashback~

'I won't give up now, Kotichi….' Cho said, standing up, taking her ninja band and tying it onto her forehead, determination in her eyes. 'They all think I don't know what happened to you…. But I know those boys were the ones who killed you…. And I will never let anyone make me feel like I'm not good enough, the way those boys made you feel….'

Cho charged Machiko, only to be kicked into the wall. Cho coughed up more blood. Machiko whipped several shuriken at her, pinning her to the wall.

Machiko punched Cho in the stomach, causing her to cough up more blood.

"Cho!" Kiba and Mitsuki yelled, both standing up. "I can't let her die!"

"Wait, Kiba," Anari smiled confidently. "This is our fight." Anari nodded to Pei, and the two leapt into the arena, Mitsuki not far behind. Pei glanced at her, and then did several hand signs, putting his hands on the ground. A dome formed over Mitsuki. She pounded on it.

"It's safer for you in there!" Anari said with a smile.

"This is of no concern to you!" Machiko said, glaring at them.

"Yes it is!" Anari smiled happily. "She's from our village! You know that if you kill her, her ninja parents will come after you, seeking blood, and then it will be an all out war between our village and your Land of Shadows!"

"Well, then…. What are you going to do about it?"

Pei did some more hand signs, and the shuriken fastening Cho to the wall formed a web of light over her.

"Accept the beating as your payment!" Anari smiled. Machiko looked from Anari to Pei, then back to Anari. She sighed.

"You're right. An all out war would be much worse. I'll let her live…."

Anari smiled, nodding to Pei, who released Mitsuki as Anari freed Cho. Cho smiled weakly.

"Thank you for your understanding!" Anari smiled. He helped Cho as the Mitsukigakure squad headed for the exit.

"Besides," Machiko said quietly. "Dying yourself isn't as painful as having someone you care about die…." And she whipped a kunai toward Mitsuki. Anari noticed at the last second and jumped in front of the kunai. It sunk deep into his chest, but he just smiled.

Machiko disappeared. Mitsuki, Pei, and Cho stared.

"Anari…." Pei said quietly. "Please, tell me you have another life on reserve…."

Anari just smiled at him. "Could you take me to the infirmary….?"

Pei stared. Mitsuki and Pei took Anari and Cho to the infirmary. Pei stayed by Anari's side.

"You can't die, Anari…. What about your destiny? Healing Lady Mitsuki…."

"My heart was punctured, Pei…." Anari smiled weakly.

"Why didn't you just block it with another kunai…?"

"I don't know, Pei…." Anari coughed up blood.

"I lost you once, Anari…. I can't lose you again…."

Anari smiled, closing his eyes. Tsunade came in.

"What took you so long?" Pei asked. Tsunade ignored him and went to Anari, doing some hand signs. She put her hand on Anari's chest, but her eyes went wide. She closed her eyes and turned to Pei seriously.


	12. Chapter 12:  Returning Home

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 12: Returning Home

"What?" Pei asked, glaring. "Why aren't you healing him?"

"Um, Pei," Tsunade said. "What I am about to tell you is very difficult to handle."

"No, no, you're going to heal him."

"Pei…. I can't."

"What are you talking about? Of course you can. You're Lady Tsunade. You're supposed to be the best medic-nin ever. You have to heal him. Do you need money, or ingredients for a cure? I can get you whatever you need, you just have to heal Anari."

"Pei, even I can't bring someone back to life…."

Pei stared, shocked. "No, you're lying…. You have to be lying. Anari is going to find a cure for Lady Mitsuki. You're lying. He's alive."

"Check his pulse yourself…." Tsunade stepped aside. Pei tried to check Anari's pulse.

"No…. Anari…." Pei stared at Anari's lifeless body. "Anari…."

"I'm sorry, Pei…." Tsunade said.

"Get out…." Pei said darkly. "Just leave."

Tsunade sighed and left. After a while, Mitsuki came in, her eyes red as if she had been crying.

"Pei…."

Pei didn't say anything.

"Lady Tsunade healed all of Cho's wounds…."

Pei still didn't say anything, he just sat there, staring at Anari.

"She told me what happened…. I'm sorry…."

"He's not gone…." Pei said. "He's going to come back, I know it. He wouldn't do that to you, to the village…."

"He wouldn't do that to you, Pei…. At least, not on purpose. He didn't plan this, Pei. You know that he would never leave you…."

"He didn't. I told you, he's going to come back…."

"Pei, you need to rest…."

"Maybe you're right…. He probably can't come back with us in here, anyway…." Pei stood up, lightly touched Anari's hand, and then left hesitantly.

"Anari…." Mitsuki said. "I know that you aren't coming back to us this time…. But I also know that you can hear me…. Thank you for everything you have done for me…. I am very grateful…. Your grandmother would be so proud of you…. I will never find another medic-nin as talented as you. And Mitsukigakure will never be the same without you. I know that Pei will definitely change…. But Mitsukigakure will always seem a little sadder, now that your smile isn't there to cheer it up…. You will always be remembered for your dedication, optimism, talent, and ambition…. And for your heart." Mitsuki wiped her tears away and left.

"Lady Mitsuki," Cho was waiting outside Anari's room. "What is going to happen, now?"

"What do you mean, Cho?"

"Who is going to be your medic-nin?"

"I will ask Lady Tsunade to lend one of hers just until we return home. And then, I will find one there…."

"Poor Pei…. I've never seen him so upset…."

"He is in denial. He doesn't want to believe that Anari is really…."

"I know…." Cho sniffed, not allowing herself to cry.

"I'm sorry, Cho. I know that Anari was like a brother to you…."

"I want to ask Pei if Anari went with a smile…. That's how Kotichi went, smiling…. I'm sure Anari went that way, too, knowing Anari…."

Mitsuki nodded. "Where did Pei go?"

"I think he went to the apartment."

"I better go make sure he is okay…." Mitsuki left. Kiba ran up to Cho.

"Cho, are you okay? They wouldn't let me in before…." Kiba hugged her. She smiled sadly.

"Kiba, I think we need to talk…."

Kiba nodded and they went outside, where Akamaru was waiting. The three went to a small, park-like area of Konohagakure.

"What is it, Cho?" Kiba asked.

"Kiba…. I had been thinking about staying here with you…."

Kiba smiled excitedly. "That's great, Cho!"

"But because of what happened today…. I can't…."

"What…?" Kiba's face fell. Akamaru whimpered.

"Please understand, Kiba…. It has nothing to do with you…. Anari is…. He didn't make it…. And Pei really needs all the family he has right now…."

"No, I understand completely…. You need to stay where you are needed most…. I'm really sorry about Anari…. He was a great guy."

"Yeah, I know…. He reminded me a little of my brother…. It's going to be hard, going on without him…. He had a strange way of making everyone feel better…."

"Yeah…. Well, I think there's only one solution…."

"Hm?"

"We're going to Mitsukigakure with you."

"What?" Cho stared, a mixture of confusion and joy on her face. Kiba smiled, petting Akamaru.

"I don't want to hardly ever see you again. Akamaru, too. I love you, Cho…."

"Kiba…." Cho wrapped her arms around his neck, tears rolling down her face. "That's so sweet…."

"I won't take no for an answer…." Kiba smiled.

"I wouldn't say no to you…. Especially not at a time like this…."

"Excuse me, Lady Tsunade…." Mitsuki cautiously entered Tsunade's office.

"I'm sorry about your pupil, Lady Mitsuki…."

"It's not your fault…. But there is something important that I must ask you…."

"Yes?"

"I need a medic-nin to serve as my personal medic-nin. Of course, I am sure that no one could ever come close to replacing my Anari, but this is a necessary thing."

"I understand. Sakura!" Sakura rushed in.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

"You are to be Lady Mitsuki's personal medic-nin until she returns home and is able to find one there."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade…."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade, and thank you, Sakura. Upon returning to Mitsukigakure, you will be rewarded for your hardship."

"Um, that will not be necessary," Tsunade said. "I am lending our services to you free of charge, as a favor for your sacrifice…."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade…." Mitsuki and Sakura left. "Tell me, Sakura, do you know a perimeter paralyzing jutsu?"

"No…."

"Do you know an immobility jutsu?"

"Yes, I do."

"That will do, then. Come with me back to my apartment, and I will explain some very important things to you…."

"Pei," Neji found the bespectacled boy sitting on the cliff in which the faces of the Hokages had been carved. Pei didn't respond.

"I heard about Anari…. I'm sorry…."

"For what? He's alive…. He'll come back…."

"Pei…." Neji sat next to him. "He's not coming back…. You know that. There is nothing you can do about it."

Pei looked away from him.

"I'm sorry…."

"You should be!" Pei glared at him. "Anari would have been fine if it wasn't for this stupid village!"

Neji stared at him.

"And you! This is all your fault! You have such special eyes that can see everything! Why didn't you see that ninja, or that katana? Why didn't you warn us?"

"I'm sorry, Pei…. It was an accident…."

Pei stood up and grabbed Neji by the front of his shirt, holding him off the edge of the cliff, glaring darkly.

"You know what else would be an accident? If I dropped you!"

"You don't want to do that, Pei…." Neji said calmly.

"Don't tell me what I don't want!"

"Pei…. I am sincerely sorry about what happened to Anari…. I never meant for anything to happen to him. He was a wonderful person and a brilliant medic-nin."

Pei just kept glaring.

"Anari said that if you take someone's life to avenge another, then blood will be sought for that life…. And a war will be started…."

Pei kept glaring. Then, he took a deep breath and put Neji back on the cliff, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry…."

Neji just watched him.

"Anari was my best friend…. My brother…. I have never known anyone as great as Anari…. I love him…."

Neji didn't say anything. He just sat there, listening.

"I just…. I can't believe he's…." Pei took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. Neji just sat there. They stayed there until the sun set.

"Lady Mitsuki is probably looking for you," Neji said.

"No…. She's probably already asleep with help of her new medic-nin…." Pei stood up. He glanced at Neji, then leapt off of the cliff, hopping on buildings to reach the apartment. Cho was still awake.

"We're leaving in the morning," she told Pei. He didn't say anything.

"Pei…. I'm really sorry…. I know how much Anari meant to you…."

"No," Pei said. "You don't."

Cho sighed as Pei lay down on his sleeping bag. Sakura came out of the bathroom, glancing at Pei. She opened her mouth to say something, but Cho shook her head, putting her finger up to her mouth to signal her to remain quiet. Cho knew that if Sakura said anything, Pei would treat her horribly, because she was taking Anari's place on the squad, even if it is temporary.

In the morning, Pei woke up and left the apartment after packing up his things. He waited by the village gates. No one else had woken up yet.

When Cho woke up, she noticed that Pei was already gone. She sighed, then woke up Sakura.

"It's time to wake up Lady Mitsuki," Cho said. Sakura yawned and stretched, nodding.

"I have something to do, I'll meet you by the gates. Pei will be there, too." And Cho left. Kiba and Akamaru were waiting in the park they had been in the day before. Cho smiled.

"Are you really going to leave your family, friends, home, and village behind?" Cho asked.

"Of course, Cho," Kiba smiled and Akamaru barked happily. "I'm just a little bit worried about how Pei will react…. I can't imagine him being too happy about my tagging along…."

"What? Why?" Cho laughed.

"Anari died the first time to save me…."

"Don't worry about Pei. He's usually very quiet, so as long as you don't look at him, you should be fine!" Cho smiled. "I can't tell you how much this means to me, Kiba…." Cho kissed him, then grabbed his hand and led both to the gates, where Pei, Mitsuki, and Sakura were waiting.

"Kiba and Akamaru are coming with us," Cho smiled. Pei wasn't looking at them, and at that comment, he didn't look, either.

"Alright, we are on a time limit, so let's get moving," Mitsuki said. And they set off.

The journey back to Mitsukigakure was rather uneventful. They arrived at the mountain range surrounding the village right on time, allowing Mitsuki to perform the hidden jutsu that allows entry into the village.

"I have to go straight to the Mistukikage," Mitsuki said. "Sakura, you come with me. The rest of you can head on home."

Cho led Kiba and Akamaru to a graveyard, to a certain gravestone. Cho knelt down in front of it, smiling.

"Hey, Kotichi…. This is Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru…. They are really great, I know they would like you, and I know that you would like them. You know my friend Anari? Well, he had a second life. But that wasn't enough. I was taking the punishment for Lady Mitsuki, and the girl I was fighting tried to kill her, but Anari took the kunai for her. He didn't survive…. Pei's really upset.

"Kiba and Akamaru really care about me. They left their home so that they could come back here with me…. I wanted you to meet them before I took them home. I love you, Kotichi…." Cho brushed his name with her fingertips, then stood up, smiling. She took a picture out of her pocket and showed Kiba. It was a picture of Kotichi, with his ninja band around his neck. Cho was on his shoulders, only five years old.

"You were adorable as a little kid!" Kiba said. Cho laughed.

"Come on," She led them to her house. "Mom, Dad!" Cho pranced in, with Kiba and Akamaru not far behind. Seiyuki hugged her.

"Oh, hello," Seiyuki said to Kiba.

"Mom, this is Kiba and Akamaru. They're from Konohagakure."

"I didn't think I'd survive being without Cho," Kiba smiled. Taro came in right as Kiba said that and glared at him before hugging Cho.

"Welcome home, Cho…." Taro said, patting her head. She smiled.

"I'm sure that you took him to Kotichi first?" Seiyuki said to Cho.

"Yes, she did," Kiba said. "I know it was many years ago, but I am sorry for your loss. It must be very difficult, losing a child." Seiyuki and Taro laughed. Cho didn't, but she smiled.

"No, you don't understand," Seiyuki explained. "Kotichi was not our son. And Cho is not our blood daughter. We adopted her after Kotichi died."

"I was an orphan," Cho said. "Kotichi was the only family I had. He died when I was eight, and they adopted me!"

"Oh…." Kiba smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

Mitsuki and Sakura stood in the Mitsukikage's office. Mitsuki had already given him the jutsu, and it was safe and protected. "This is Sakura Haruno, from Konohagakure…. Anari was killed protecting me, so she was filling in until I got here…."

"I extend my deepest condolences to you and your squad, Lady Mitsuki…." The Mitsukikage said sadly. "I know how much Anari meant to you…."

Mitsuki just nodded sadly.

"Thank you for your services, Sakura. You are free to return to your village."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you, Lord Mitsukikage." She bowed slightly and left.

"Lord Mitsukikage, I am worried about Pei…."

"For what reason?"

"He was very close to Anari…. I don't think he is able to handle Anari's death."

"Well, then that bridge will be crossed when we reach it. Lady Mitsuki, you are not getting any younger…."

"I know. It has been taken care of. I am with child. A boy."

"Wonderful. You will not be permitted to go on anymore missions, until the heir is born."

"Yes, Lord Mitsukikage."

Pei stood on a hill, looking out over the mountain range at the surrounding forest.

"I will be Mitsukikage. And when I am…. You will rue the day you let Anari die…."


	13. Chapter 13:  PAM

In the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter 13: P.A.M.

_[A/N: TEAM KAZOR!]_

Eight years ago, the small village of Mitsukigakure experienced a tragic loss, but in that same year, they also rejoiced the birth of their new heir.

The loss was the death of the village's most prized and gifted medic-nin, Anari. The heir was a boy with brown hair and eyes. He was given the name Tetsuya.

Six years ago, the Mitsukikage passed away peacefully in his sleep. His successor is Pei.

So, Kiba and Akamaru moved in with Cho and her family, Mitsuki had Iruka's child, and he does visit often, Anari is remembered by the commemorative memorial Pei had built as his first act as Mitsukikage, Pei is the Mitsukikage, and a medic-nin kunoichi named Sora is Mitsuki and Tetsuya's new personal medic-nin.

Now that we are all caught up, we find Mitsuki and Tetsuya in Pei's office, looking somewhat forlorn.

"But Pei, I made a promise." Mitsuki said seriously.

"I am aware of that, Lady Mitsuki. But I cannot allow him to come back and forth so freely anymore." Pei said, not looking at her. Mitsuki sighed.

"Tetsuya, go play with Akamaru, okay?" Mitsuki smiled at the scrawny little boy, who smiled and ran off. "Iruka wants to be in his life, Pei. He has a right to. Tetsuya is his son."

"Yes, well, we can't always get what we want, can we?" Pei glared slightly.

"Konoha has been our ally since our village began."

"Do not tell me about our village's history, Lady Mitsuki. I have studied it extensively since the time I was able to read."

"You don't honestly plan on breaking that alliance, do you?"

Pei said nothing. Mitsuki frowned.

"You can't keep this up, Pei. You are the Mitsukikage. Do not abuse your position."

Again, Pei said nothing. Mitsuki sighed.

"You were always such a quiet boy, Pei…. I know that you still miss Anari, but that is in the past, and there is nothing we can do to change that."

Pei got up, looking out his window, down at the little shrine that was Anari's memorial. Mitsuki joined him at the window.

"You have done a wonderful job making sure that everything Anari did is not forgotten. Pei. But if Anari were here, you know that he would want you to-"

"Don't tell me what you think Anari would want me to do…." Pei growled.

"I'm sorry, Pei. I miss him, too, you know."

"Not how I do," Pei said so quietly that Mitsuki didn't hear him.

"What do you plan to do if you break this alliance?"

"Ally with their enemies."

Mitsuki sighed. She turned to leave. When she opened the door, she stopped, turning to look at Pei again. He was still looking out the window.

"You used to want world peace, Pei…. You've changed so much…." Mitsuki left sadly.

"How'd it go?" Cho asked. She was in a field with Kiba, Akamaru, and Tetsuya. Mitsuki shook her head, Sora not far behind her.

"Pei has changed so much. It's like I don't even know him anymore…."

"He's under a lot of stress."

"He still misses Anari so much. I don't think he ever accepted the fact that he's really gone."

"I think it's impossible for him to accept that. After all, Anari and Pei had an entire relationship that we never even knew about. They were far closer than we could have ever imagined."

"He blames Konoha for Anari's death."

"Well, you can't really blame him for that. It is pretty much their fault. Neji should have seen that katana."

"I can't believe this is still such an issue."

"I can, because it's Pei."

"He doesn't like me very much," Sora said, drawing both women's attention.

"Of course he doesn't." Kiba said, joining them, panting, as Akamaru and Tetsuya continued to play. "How would you feel if the person you cared about most died, and a few days later, someone came along, supposed to replace them in your life?"

"I never tried to replace Anari…."

"Of course not," Mitsuki said. "But that's how it felt to Pei. He felt like no one cared. Anari died, and the only that mattered was getting me a new medic-nin. That's almost how the village viewed Anari, just as my medic-nin. The worst part of him dying was that he was the very best. But he was more than just my medic-nin."

"Why did Anari have to die?" Cho asked.

"I suppose my destiny was not to be cured…."

Pei stared at the scroll before him, rereading it.

_To the current Hokage_

_I, Pei, Sixth Mitsukikage of Mitsukigakure, formally end the alliance between our villages. Konohagakure has failed to hold up their agreement in our alliance eight years ago. While the Mitsukikage at that time did not find it necessary to break the alliance, I find that there is no other solution to such treason. The only reason for the six year gap between my appointment to Mitsukikage and this announcement is simply loose ends needing attention and other business that need not be addressed in such a notification._

_Visitors from your village to ours will no longer be accepted, and our aid will not be offered during any crisis or time of need that your village may request of us._

_The current citizen of Mitsukigakure, Kiba Inuzuka and his dog Akamaru, shall be permitted to remain here, due to having completed total citizenship for our village. The common recurring visitation of Iruka Umino will no longer be tolerated under this declaration of alliance retraction._

_As I am sure is indicated in your records, eight years prior to this, a squad from my village was sent to your to seek aid on a very important mission. Upon meeting our request, your shinobi, Neji Hyuuga, failed to uphold his duties, and allowed our most talented shinobi to suffer from a fatal wound. Due to a jutsu performed on our shinobi, the talented medic-nin Anari, he was able to recover from this. The jutsu I speak of is one that gave him a second life so that he may be able to save our village if ever our heir was killed._

_Due to the failure of Neji Hyuuga, Anari's second life was wasted. Therefore, when he carried out his duty of protecting our heir, he was wounded. And due to the slow response of your Hokage at that time, Anari was not healed._

_The above outlines the reasons for which I break our alliance. I do not declare war. I simply break our alliance._

_Formally,_

_Pei  
The Sixth Mitsukikage_

Pei nodded. He rolled up the scroll, going once more to the window. There was a knock on the door and a young shinobi entered.

"Take this scroll to the Hokage." Pei said, not turning to the shinobi, who nodded, taking the scroll, and left.

"I may not be declaring war, yet…. But I will ally with Kirigakure, who will surely accept my war proposal against you, Neji Hyuuga, and all of Konohagakure…." Pei turned to the picture on the wall, a picture of him and Anari.

"I will avenge you, Anari…. You have not been forgotten…."

"Lord Mitsukikage?" A woman peeked into his office. She had a pretty face, and had long black hair and dark blue eyes.

Pei turned to her, not saying anything.

"The shinobi you sent to Kirigakure has returned."

Pei nodded, looking back out the window. Instead of leaving, the woman enter the office fully, closing the door behind her.

"When are you going to marry me, Lord Mitsukikage?"

Again, Pei remained silent.

"I have told you many times that I love you…." She looked a little pained.

Pei clenched a fist, taking a deep breath.

"I know that you still-"

"No, you do not know." Pei said quietly, but firmly. He still didn't look t her.

"I'm sorry, Lord Mitsukikage…. But he was my brother…."

Pei didn't say anything. Kariko went to his side, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. He didn't react.

"You don't look anything like him."

"That's because he looked like his mother, and I look like mine." Kariko kissed him gently, but again, Pei had no reaction.

"I want a baby, Lord Mitsukikage…." Kariko said, kissing him again.

"Then go make one." Pei was unaffected by Kariko's affection. Kariko sighed.

"I want one with you…. I love you."

Pei looked again to the picture on the wall. The only reason he tolerated Kariko's advances was because she was Anari's little sister. Had she been anyone else, he would have disposed of her long ago. After all, after being appointed Mitsukikage, he had many female callers, all of whom he coldly and silently rejected. All, that is, except Kariko. He didn't reject her, but he didn't accept her. He simply tolerated her.

Kariko kissed Pei again, more deeply this time.

"Do you think of him all the time?" Kariko asked. "Even when I'm here?"

Pei didn't say anything. He just looked at her, expressionless. She kissed him again, her fingers lacing with his. But he pulled his hands away.

Kariko watched him for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his arm, resting her head on his shoulder, staring out the window with him.

"Would you like it more if I smiled all the time, like he did?"

Pei twitched at this, then looked down at Kariko.

"It wouldn't be the same." Pei said after a while. Kariko nodded.

"But what if I tried?"

Pei didn't say anything. Kariko sighed.

"What can I do to make you love me?" She asked desperately. Pei didn't respond.

Sora walked back toward the infirmary after dark had fallen. She had performed an immobility jutsu on Mitsuki and Tetsuya, and was headed back to the infirmary to file her weekly report.

"How's it going, Sora?" A medic-nin asked, also filing some paperwork. Sora just sighed, shaking her head.

"Anari left some pretty big shoes to fill. It was like he wasn't even trained here or something."

"What do you mean?"

"Anari was so far ahead of us in everything he did. The jutsu he used wasn't an immobility jutsu. It was a paralyze jutsu."

"Does that make much of a difference?"

"Yeah. The jinmenjuushin is very strong. Sometimes, I find that they have moved slightly. I told Lady Mitsuki about this, and she just told me that she wants me to observe one night to see what the problem was. She's concerned for Lord Tetsuya."

"Well, yeah. So when are you going to stay?"

"I don't know. I know that she is disappointed that Lord Tetsuya can't have Anari as his medic-nin."

"But you're the best we have, Sora."

"Yeah, only when Anari died. Like I said, he was far ahead of everyone. He was a real prodigy."

"Yeah, I remember when he started here. He was only eight years old."

"That's the age you start at the academy."

"Yeah, but he's Anari. He immediately showed potential and interest in medical ninjutsu."

~Flashback~

After his first day of ninja school, little Anari went to the infirmary. The kunoichi at the desk looked down at him curiously.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I want to be a medic-nin!" Anari smiled.

"Um, I'm sorry, but you need to be a genin before you can do that."

"Well, can I just watch?" Anari smiled hopefully. The kunoichi sighed, nodding. Anari smiled thankfully, wandering around the infirmary, watching the medic-nin.

Later that night, Kotichi was brought in, and Anari went into his room, before Cho had gotten there. Anari looked over him.

"Hey, if they just-"

"Hana, get this little girl out of here," A shinobi told the kunoichi from the desk. "She's a little too young to be in here right now."

"But if you-" Anari began, but was cut off as Hana picked him up and took him out.

"Sorry, but he's pretty serious." Hana said.

"If you can do a blood clotting jutsu, it will stop the bleeding, though." Anari smiled.

"Blood clotting jutsu?" Hana gave him a confused look.

"Yeah. In school we learned about a jutsu to stop water from flowing. Can't you do that with blood?"

"Um, well, I had never thought about that."

"If you do that, then he will stop bleeding, and he can heal!"

"But he's already bled out so much."

"Yeah, but then can't you just do a blood transfusion jutsu, as long as the bleeding is stopped."

"That's actually a really good idea." Hana set him down and ran back to Kotichi's room.

~End Flashback~

"Wow, even as a little kid, he was that knowledgeable?" Sora asked. Hana nodded.

"He could have saved that kid's life, but everyone overlooked him. Of course, we've always kept that story under wraps."

"Yeah, cuz that kid was Cho's older brother. Wow. Small world, huh?"

"Small village." Hana smiled half-heartedly. "You know, since he died, this village has seemed a bit sadder."

"Well, Anari had great plans. He was working on a way to cure Lady Mitsuki. The idea that we could have been free of the fear that something will happen to the heir and that we will all become monsters is now lost."

"You are the next best medic-nin. Why don't you try something? Talk to Lord Mitsukikage. He might know where Anari's research is."

"That's a great idea. I think I will." Sora smiled, filing her report and then headed for Pei's office.

"Excuse me, Lord Mitsukikage?" Sora said, entering his office. Pei didn't look up from his desk. Kariko was sitting on the couch off to the side.

"I was wondering if there were any files or research that I could look at."

Pei continued to write whatever it was that he was writing.

"Um, the files I'm looking for aren't at the infirmary, and I was wondering if you might have them. I'm looking for any research on the cure that A-"

"No." Pei said firmly.

"Lord Mitsukikage," Kariko frowned. "This could save the village."

Pei said nothing.

"I will look into finding those for you, Sora."

"You will do no such thing." Pei said, giving Kariko a serious look. Kariko stared at him for a moment, and then sighed.

"But Lord Mitsukikage, if there had been any research done, I would like to continue what A-" Sora began.

"No. There is nothing." Pei said, glaring at Sora. Sora glared back at him.

"Just because I am the heir's new medic-nin, that does not mean that I am out to erase his memory."

"Get. Out."

Sora sighed and glared again before leaving.

Iruka made his way into the village. Since it was the night of the full moon, he was able to enter. It was very late at night, so no one was out.

"You should not have come." Pei said, suddenly behind Iruka. Iruka turned to him slowly, smiling.

"Leave now and I will not hold you or your village responsible."

"Lord Mitsukikage," Iruka frowned. "I just came to see Tetsuya."

Pei adjusted his glasses on his face, the moonlight reflecting off of them. Then he pulled out a kunai, taking a defensive position. Iruka frowned.

"What's wrong, Lord Mitsukikage?"

Pei sweep kicked, knocking Iruka to his feet, but the Konoha shinobi jumped right back up, ducking under the kunai that was slashed at his head. Pei rapidly made some hand signs, and then a cylinder of earth came up around Iruka. Pei stuck the kunai into it, then walked away, the paper tag on the kunai fluttering in the wind. When the moonlight hit the tag, it ignited.


End file.
